On July 20, 1969, the first two humans walked on the surface of the moon, with one of them remarking, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind”. Nearly 50 years later NASA declares, “we are going to the moon—to stay”, heralding the delivery of permanent tech to the lunar surface by private companies. We have to wonder, how do monumental feats of achievement like these occur? 

It all begins with inspiration. Someone pointed at the largest visible object in the sky and said, “we’re going there”. Next comes the strategy—countless teams planned and executed their small part, measuring progress along the way.