80/20 Thinking at NASA

How The 80/20 Rule and Quick Thinking Saved Apollo 13 From Burning Up in the Atmosphere

Apollo 13 was supposed to be NASA’s third manned-lunar-landing mission but things didn’t turn out well.  Two days into the mission the spacecraft was crippled by an explosion in oxygen tank #2. Losing oxygen and electrical power rapidly, the crew’s lives depended upon solving a complicated problem rapidly: how do you return to earth when your craft is damaged beyond repair?

The Problem

The Apollo 13 command module’s normal supply of electricity, light, and water were lost, and they were about 200,000 miles from Earth.  They had to invent procedures to:

• Transform the Lunar Module into a command module suitable for carrying not two but three men safely back to earth
• Double the amount of oxygen the Lunar Module was designed to supply from 45 to 90 hours
• Reduce power consumption by 80%
• Reduce water consumption by 80%
• Remove dangerous carbon dioxide now that the normal air scrubbers were damaged
• Create a course back to earth using instruments never designed for such a purpose

The Solution

In a remarkable achievement of teamwork,the Lunar Module was converted from a vessel intended to land on the moon into a “life boat” in space.  Power was transferred from the command module to the lunar module, as was oxygen.  CO2 was removed by the Command Module by attaching canisters using plastic bags, cardboard and tape. Power consumption reduced by literally turning off the heat. Water intake reduced through stoic abstinence.  And a course was recalculated using the sun rather than a suitable navigational star.

A Successful Failure

The final NASA report characterized the accident and resulting course of action  as a “succesful failure.”  Never before had so many men and women collaborated so fast to solve so many problems.  I am not a rocket scientist, but my take away from this chapter in history are:

• Focus on what’s going to work. Ignore the rest.  As NASA Flight Director Eugene Kranz said: “Okay, people! Listen up! I want you all to forget the flight plan! From this moment on we are improvising a new mission…”
• Tap everyone on the team for information. Engineers, fabricators and vendors were all pulled into the problem-solving process
• Use what works.  Apollo 13’s rigged solutions included plastic bags, cardboard, tape and all manners of improvisation.  And it worked.
• Lastly, never, ever lose site of the goal.  For Apollo 13 it was saving lives.  For your business it may be more elusive but just as visceral.

Next Steps

• WATCH: If you have but 2 minutes watch this pivotal problem solving scene on YouTube.  If you have NetFlix, rent Ron Howard’s Apollo 13, a masterpiece of narrative.
• READ:  “Failure is not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond” (available on Amazon).  If you have an Amazon Kindle (wireless book reader) click here to download
• TEACH: Look around your own business.  Ask yourself the question “what could we fix right now with what we have right here?”  It won’t be as scary as the movie, but it can have a lasting impact on your business life.