What does it take to make the impossible look possible?
Elon Musk at SpaceX have given us a glimpse of that yesterday (25 Jun 2017). SpaceX flawlessly launched the Falcon 9 rocket with a multiple satellite deployment and returned the booster to the floating dock in the pacific. It is hard to put into words how impossible this was just a few years ago.
This may be a turning point in human history. The place in time where we look back and say, “This is when we started to make a difference in space operations.” The only thing that has been prohibiting us from doing this sooner was cost. The cost was too high to go through the failures that are required to achieve breakthrough technology. SpaceX have effectively cut the current cost in half and the next phase of tech will cut it down to almost ⅕ the average. This will allow for more launches and more opportunity to improve on the technology at a faster rate than anyone else.
Here is an excerpt from SpaceX on the launch yesterday: (http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/06/25/iridium-2-mission)
On Sunday, June 25 at 1:25 p.m. PDT, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the second set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT.
Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 successfully landed on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean, despite challenging weather conditions
Here is a link to watch the full webcast of the launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei3nGWD4d5A
I believe that it takes at least three things to bring such an epic moment together. A clear Epic Vision, complete Unity of Purpose, and an environment of Pure Collaboration.
Elon Musk wants humanity to go to Mars. A simple epic vision that leads everything else he does. More importantly, it sets the target for everyone else who is supporting him. Having vision is strictly a human trait. Animals don’t have any competing visions beyond the hunt, mating, and the watering hole. Only Humans can conceive an idea in the mind and then bring that idea into reality. Vision is the beginning of the creation process. But vision is not enough. We need help.
When we come together with unity of purpose there isn’t anything we cannot do as a species. In fact, I would postulate that the only reason we survived this long is because we came together to solve problems bigger than any single individual. SpaceX has had to solve problems that were never problems before; such as lowering the cost of launch by recovering the booster rocket. It took failure and Humans coming together to solve the problem to make it a reality.
Humans when working together in an environment of pure collaboration and transparency achieve greatness faster. In such environments, it is as if a group mind is formed and instead of one person trying to tackle a problem alone, everyone is there to share the mental burden. I think that perhaps our brain is wired to be more successful when working in groups, and it is especially effective when everyone is open in their efforts. This allows for people to connect when the opportunity naturally rises.
Key Take-away: The Human species can achieve the impossible when we work together. The launch that occurred Sunday is only a testiment of what we can do. I imagine a world where we choose to be Human, come together as an entire planet to solve our current day problems, and seek a new vision of what is possible. All we have to do is choose.
Stay Savage.
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