In the race to create the next big thing, today’s entrepreneurs are missing one critical ingredient: a daring spirit. It’s this spirit that first propelled humanity into space but which has unfortunately diminished over time. Today, the most overlooked quality of a founder is the ability to say “Let’s go for it,” and to take a great risk in pursuit of their vision. This is exactly what we did during the early days of the space program. We had no idea if sending a person to space was even possible, but that didn’t stop our nation from trying and pouring a massive amount of resources to complete the greatest feat in human history: landing a man on the moon.
After World War II, the human spirit was reset. The war created a shift in how the world viewed death. Instead of being at the hands of an enemy over a patch of earth in a foreign land, humanity took control of its future and channeled that all-or-nothing spirit into accomplishments that have stood the test of time.
The United States space program itself was founded by a group of test pilots. In 1959, seven men were chosen, one of whom, Alan Shepard, was fated to become the first American in space. In the 1950s, test pilots were dying at an average of one per week — something unfathomable today. But that spirit, that ability to put it all on the line, is what led to the greatest accomplishments.
In his book “Moon Shot,” Shepard sums this mentality up with a singular debate that the team faced: should they wait until a successful launch of the Redstone booster before they strap a human to the top of it? I’m sure that everyone in that room in 1961 was uncomfortable discussing the risk of the very real possibility that the vehicle could explode and Shepard would die on the way to space.
Werner von Braun, then the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, ultimately decided to wait until they had at least one successful flight of the Redstone before strapping Shepard to the top of it. He was afraid of the risk.
It was the wrong call. Because of this hesitation, the U.S. lost the first leg of the space race, and Shepard took second place to the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin when he became the first person in space. This was a huge wake-up call. It put America into a mode of execution rarely seen in human history, catalyzing our all-in approach to sending humans to the moon. And it worked.
Today’s creators and inventors can learn a lot from this time in U.S. history. Here are three important lessons that early space exploration taught us about truly groundbreaking discoveries.
Lesson one: Maximize reward, ignore risk
It’s human nature to choose a path that minimizes risk and maximizes reward. In our modern world of investment banking, medicine, and pretty much all knowledge worker professions, this will always lead to a high expected value outcome.
The basic construct of human psychology is to minimize risk while maximizing the outcome. This is why all our retirement accounts follow the tried-and-true methodology of long-term investing in safe large-cap stocks. Most people will feel great knowing that their money is in a safe space, and that even in the worst of years, the losses will be minimized. They can go to sleep at night dreaming about their European vacation, a new car or even a second house on a lake.
That isn’t how you create a new paradigm. I would argue that the most successful inventors and entrepreneurs consistently do one thing: ignore risk. When Elon Musk started SpaceX, practically everyone in the space industry said he was crazy. “The market is too small.” “This is only for the government.” “You cannot land a rocket.” I could not understand how one single guy could challenge something that had been dictated by the government, and how he thought he was going to win. And why did Musk win? He simply did not care. He went all-in on creating the vision he wanted to see for the future, and ignored the risk of economic loss and public failure because the reward was too great. The reward was a future for humans — I think we can all agree that becoming a multi-planetary species is worth the risk.
Lesson two: You’re not special
Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Niels Bohr — these were special people; you’re not. In fact, most humans aren’t special. Consider early space pioneers like Robert Goddard, Neil Armstrong and Margaret Hamilton. These people didn’t have super-human IQ but still achieved greatness; they succeeded because they were ruthless (some might even say reckless) in their pursuit of firsts that would propel humanity forward. They fearlessly put it all on the line because they knew how important the reward would be for humankind. Like them, today’s entrepreneurs who are attempting to achieve the impossible need to set their egos aside and focus instead on relentless hard work, determination and following their vision.
Lesson three: Be hardcore in your focus
Ever had an idea pop into your head that you think about every waking moment of every day? Something you are so sure about that you would take out a second mortgage on your house just to pursue it? The hardest thing to do, as a founder, is to ignore it.
You can’t explore the final frontier without being hardcore. Being hardcore is different than being passionate. When you’re passionate about something, you do it daily without thinking —- it’s effortless. On the contrary, being hardcore requires intense focus. While it’s important to be passionate and to love what you do, you also need to direct all of your attention to the vision of the company and what you’re building. This means saying no to things that distract you from the mission so you can ruthlessly prioritize your work.
The visionaries of today are the same as the pioneers of the space race — they are laser-focused on the vision. Be hardcore in your pursuit of landmark discoveries and breakthrough technologies. The next great leap for humanity isn’t waiting for someone special — it’s waiting for someone bold enough to take the risk. Are you ready to roll the dice?
Matt Gialich, co-founder and CEO of the asteroid mining firm AstroForge, has over a decade of experience leading engineering teams. With a Master’s degree in electrical engineering, he began his career at Toyon Research, then joined Virgin Orbit’s initial technical team where he led the flight software and GNC teams and oversaw avionics. He went on to serve as Director of Vehicle Software at Bird. At AstroForge, Matt and his co-founder Jose are aiming to be the first commercial company to venture into deep space.