On August 9, 1968, NASA made a decision that would change the course of space exploration: Apollo 8 was going to the moon. Just 134 days later, on December 21, 1968, that mission launched, taking humanity farther than ever before. This is the story of how they did it.

The story of Apollo 8 is often overshadowed by the more famous moon landing, but it's a tale of ingenuity and nerve that deserves its own spotlight. Imagine the scene: August 1968, the height of the space race, with tensions running sky-high. NASA, under the direction of leaders like George Low and James Webb, was under enormous pressure to prove American dominance in space. The Soviets had been first in just about everything up to that point—first satellite, first man in space. The U.S. needed a win, and they needed it fast.

Then, on August 9, 1968, NASA made a decision that was as bold as it was risky: Apollo 8 wouldn’t just to orbit the Earth; it would go to the moon. The kicker? They had only 134 days to pull it off. No one had ever attempted anything like this before, and the clock was ticking.

NASA’s mission profile was stripped down to its essentials, focusing entirely on one goal: getting to the moon and back, safe and sound. The team—astronauts, engineers, flight controllers—had just a few months to pivot and prepare. They faced a mountain of challenges, from the technical to the psychological, but they tackled each one with a singular focus. They rehearsed every maneuver, ran countless simulations, and worked around the clock to ensure no detail was overlooked.

NASA's strategy was simple but revolutionary: keep it simple. By avoiding unnecessary complexity, they reduced the chances of error and increased their chances of success. They knew that in space, as in life, the simplest path is often the most effective. And so, on December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 launched, sending three astronauts on a 240,000-mile journey that would take them around the moon and back—one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century, and a clear message to the world that America was ready to lead the way in space.

So, the strategy to follow is:

1. Gather a team that is both fiercely intelligent and relentlessly committed. Without that foundation, the rest hardly matters.

2. Define your mission with absolute clarity. Like Apollo 8, you need a goal as sharp as “get to the moon and back.” Know exactly what you’re building and why.

3. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify. Complexity is a seductive trap, but in engineering, less is often more. You’re already building a rocket; don’t make it harder than it needs to be.

4. Catch errors as soon as they arise. Do not let errors slip through to the next stage of the development cycle. Errors getting caught too late is the number one reason that engineering projects get delayed.

5. Make sure you’re well-funded and, if possible, have the weight of global expectations on your shoulders. There’s nothing like a bit of geopolitical pressure to keep things moving. 😄

As Apollo 8 showed us, sometimes the most groundbreaking achievements come not from adding more layers, but from stripping them away. By distilling their mission to its essence—get to the moon and back—NASA’s engineers minimized the potential for error and maximized their chances of success. It’s a lesson in the power of simplicity, a reminder that when the stakes are highest, clarity and focus are your best allies. This philosophy isn’t just relevant in the realm of space exploration; it’s a guiding principle here at Entangl. We believe that in the world of engineering, the key to innovation lies in reducing complexity and preventing errors before they happen. Just as Apollo 8 made history by cutting through the noise to achieve the impossible, we help engineers and organizations do the same—ensuring that their most ambitious projects can take flight, without being weighed down by the unnecessary.