MSCI610

Project Management Tools, Techniques and Theories

Coursework Assessment

The Analyzation of NASA’s Apollo Program

Pisitha Asapaviriya
Student ID Number: 36038677

Tutor Name: Dr. Paul Blackwell

Word Count: 2,622 words

Date of Submission: 19 November 2021

 1. Introduction

“NASA is a U.S. government agency that is responsible for science and

technology related to air and space.”

(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2021)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), established in 1958, researches Earth,
its atmospheric conditions, the Sun, solar system and further including examine, and expand to specialize
aeronautics. NASA advances and finances space technologies that could possibly allow further feasible
space studies. There are more than 200 projects and programs executed by NASA to explore the outer
space, such as Mercury Program, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Earth Observing-1 program (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2021). In May 1961, the President of the USA, John F. Kennedy,
stated that an American shall land on the Moon and return back to Earth safely (Arrilucea E, 2018). Apollo
Program (herein after referred to “project”) was a program done by NASA to satisfy the President in
exploring the Moon. The project timeline was since 1961 to 1972 with approximately USD 25.4 billion,
USD 163 billion inflation adjusted to 2008, budget (Arrilucea E, 2018). Apollo Program included 33 flights
where 11 of the flights are manned and 22 unmanned to explore the lunar surface. As a result of this
project, loads of data and examples were collected and brought back the first man on the moon. This
report will analyze Apollo program executed by NASA through five different perspectives which are First,
Scope, aim and strategies; Second, Project challenges; Third, Stakeholders management; Forth, Risk
management and Fifth, Lesson learned.

2. Project Objective, Aim and Scope

On 25 May 1961, the President John F. Kennedy had announced in public that the United State of
America had set a goal to land a man on the Moon and return back to Earth safely before the end of 1969.
This is the official start point of Apollo program. The objectives of Apollo program were firstly, to create
technologies to reach the further country interests in outer space. Secondly, for the USA to be excellent
in space. Thirdly, to perform the lunar exploration program and return back to Earth safely. Lastly, to
expand people potential on conducting the work on the Moon (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration 2019). In order to achieve the project purposes, NASA studied feasible studies to explore
and expand the possibility of settling down at the Moon step by step. Therefore, several programs such
as Mercury in 1963 and Gemini Program in 1965-1966. It provided major basis information and knowledge
to the Apollo program and regards to (Orloff R (2000), cited in Arrilucea E, 2018) Apollo missions were set
as they had different purposes and objectives. For instance, a purpose for building a confidence in manned
flight in Apollo 7, A first human on Earth orbit in Apollo 8, A first human landing on Moon in Apollo 11,
and an accuracy Moon landing demonstration in Apollo 12 and 13.

To maintain the objectives of the project on creating the technology in order to reach the interests
and be excellent in outer space, the scientific knowledge and technology obtained will be a major
objective of the project, NASA published the space policy (Webb, J and McNamara, S to John F. Kennedy,
(1961), cited in Arrilucea E, 2018) to enable people to enlarge their knowledge of solar system. According
to Arrilucea E, (2018), the additional knowledge was added into the Moon landing paper to strengthen
the scientific value. Not only being excellent in space is a project objective, but due to the fact that the
first man in space was Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, in 1961. At that time, the United State of
America had not developed a comparable technology to send the man to outer space (Arrilucea E, 2018).
The country had a high challenge on developing the technologies to enable the possibility of achieving the
project objectives in order to compete with the USSR which is also one of the project’s aims. Thus, the
project was executed not only because to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, but also in subject to
re-establish the country credibility and competing with Soviet Union in relation to the space study.

3. Project Challenges

Regards to (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2014) before a public announcement
of American’s landing at the Moon mission by the President JFK, loads of feasible studies had been done
to ensure the possibility of reaching the project target by the end of the decade. This was because there
are numerous challenges of landing the first man to the Moon. One of the most important challenges was
no one had ever done this before, at that time, no man had ever reached and landed at the moon and not
even stepped out of the spacecraft when flying in the outer space. Therefore, the first and one of the most
important challenges that they had to dealt with was “The Unknown”.

To understand more about the challenge, NASA had held several missions which are Mercury and
Gemini Program as pilot projects. Mercury project was the American’s first manned spacecraft established
in 1958, 3 years prior to the public announcement of Apollo project. Mercury’s targets were to first, orbit
a spacecraft control by man around the Earth. Second, to explore the human potentiality to work in space.
Last, to make progress of man and spacecraft safely (National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2017).
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2017) explained that the Mercury provided information
of human capabilities to work and live in the outer space with no gravity for a period of 34 hours,
unharmed, and be able to fly back to Earth. Moreover, this project had considered the operating
procedure of training the crews both in flight and on ground to ensure that they were all well-trained
including precisely developed spacecrafts design. In mercury, it also had discussions of common execution
in aerospace scheme that could cause difficulties afterwards. Mercury improved the significant design,
equipment specification, a precise testing practice of the spacecraft for the upcoming missions.

3 years after Mercury project had been mobilized, NASA had started Gemini program at the same
time that the President announced a goal to reach the Moon. Gemini was a United State of America’s
second manned flight after Mercury. It had been executed between Mercury and Apollo and NASA called
Gemini as Bridge to the Moon. Mathews (1968, Foreword) explained that Gemini had developed
information obtained from Mercury to upgrade this project especially on the construction and operation
of spacecraft that will be more complex in Apollo project. Gemini’s objectives were first, investigate the
astronaut’s capabilities and effects in long flight in space. Second, to identify how spacecraft shall be met
and joined in the pathway between Earth and the Moon. Last, to find out the method of returning to Earth
perfectly and safely. Gemini had developed the Mercury Spacecrafts in order to fit two spacemen and
upgrade the other system to reach and land at the Moon safely.
 In Apollo program, the astronauts had to go beyond the Earth orbit where the Mercury had not
been before and landed men to the moon surface where the astronauts must leave their spacecraft in
order to explore and investigate the lunar surface, Gemini was the key to these successes. NASA studied,
illustrated, and tested the possibility of the spacemen to be able to work outside the craft. In the end of
Gemini project, it was the first time that man was able to survive and able to perform his work outside his
spacecraft.

It can be seen that the challenging of “The Unknown” in Apollo was well-dealt by using the data
and know-how received from Mercury and Gemini. When the Mercury sent the aircraft to orbit around
the Earth, NASA assigned the Gemini team to study the Mercury model and develop the spacecraft
parallelly. Therefore, Gemini had successfully built the spacecraft in a very short period and move on to
study more about the performance outside the spacecraft with spacesuits. NASA combined success of
each mission and developed it, while, the ground team on Earth supported by investigating, testing
including developing the difficulties urgently. A step-by-step and parallelly learning of NASA in Mercury
and Gemini and team’s motivations brought a great success to Apollo within the time limited.

4. Stakeholders Management
As NASA was executed under the United State of America’s government, the project involves
numerous of stakeholders such as the U.S. government, military, universities, contractors including the
American people themselves, each stakeholder has various aspects toward the road of the project and
what tasks shall be included to achieve the project objectives (Arrilucea E, 2018) while meeting the
stakeholder’s requirement and satisfactory, accordingly, it is necessary to perform a good stakeholders
management. To manage the stakeholders, NASA developed an extemporaneous management to
communicate with all stakeholders. Arrilucea E, (2018) point out that the project was divided into
functional departments which are designing, engineering, testing, purchasing, construction, producing,
supply chain, training, and operation to manage the stakeholders. This allocation provides an accessible
on-point communication between related departments and stakeholders and avoid a miscommunication
which might occurred.

Moreover, according to the figure of Glennan (1961) cited in Arrilucea E, (2018), after an
announcement of the President to execute the Lunar landing project, NASA started to connect with the
significant stakeholders, such as industry, through the contracts and create a procedure and assigned the
authority responsible for each step to perform procurements. This provides a clear communication plan
between team and external stakeholders. In addition, it clearly provides the role and responsibility of each
department through all procurement processes.
 Figure of Glennan (1961) cited in Arrilucea E, (2018)

5. Risk Management

Apollo program is one of the biggest projects in United State of America that contains challenging
tasks, this mega project requires loads of resources such as high skilled and various experts from different
field, stable financial sponsors including accurate information and data. With this mega scale, a high level
of risk and uncertainty are created in Apollo program, especially in terms of a miscommunication between
project staffs. To avoid the miscommunication, regards to (Robert C. Seamans, Jr. 2005), a military agent
was assigned as a project director. He allocated and divided a project into five small functional
departments which are program control, system engineering, test, reliability and quality, and flight
operation. These departments, together, have a direct information transmission. They shared information
and document that regularly updated to communicate between departments. It can be seen that the
small function departments with one central project director allowed NASA to create a fulcrum
management and provided a better understanding of project situation to the director to monitor and
control the Apollo program. It was not only provided opportunities for project director to find connections
between the shared data and information received across the departments and conduct a better project
uncertainty management, but for the staff, the data and information were used accurately.

“The quality gap created in concept phrase will be passed on and get bigger
(cumulative) as they pass through each phrase of life cycle.”

(Blackwell, 2021)
 NASA did not allow the quality gap to pass from one stage to one another as they understand
that quality gap is one of the main risks that could lead to the project failure. The project objective to land
man on the Moon might not success due to the space craft quality and losses of money, time and
especially life might be occurred. To avoid this, according to the figure from (Robert C. Seamans, Jr. 2005),
by the end of each milestone and during operational stage, a review, an approval and a test will be held
before going to the next stage in order to control the project and product quality and avoid the
unexpected event that may occurred. After they have defined the project definition, preliminary design
review is conducted before entering the designing stage and critical design review was held again after
they have completed the design before entering to manufacturing stage to ensure the correction of the
design and reduce the possibility of the faulty design which could cause damages afterwards.

(Robert C. Seamans, Jr. 2005)

6. Lesson Learned
As studying NASA’s Apollo Program, several key lessons learned are obtained. First, learning from
the past is a short cut path to move forward quickly. In Apollo program, it can be seen that Gemini
spacecraft has been developed from the Mercury spacecraft model. In the same way, Apollo used the
information, data, model including know-how obtained from the Mercury and Gemini as the basis
information of the program which leads to the Apollo success within 10 years limited time. Studying from
the previous experience could possibly reduce time and cost in the project. In addition, it could increase
a level of success in the project since it could be easier to identify potential risks and uncertainties together
with preparing and finding solutions to avoid the repetitive failures.

Second, safety first. In the time of the cold war where USA was in an aerospace science
competition with Soviet Union (USSR), especially, when USSR had already sent the first man to space and
USA were back behind, the speech of the President still showed his attention on the safety that man
should return to earth safely.

“I believe this Nation should commitment itself to achieving the goal, before
this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to
Earth….”

The President John F. Kennedy

Speaking to Congress and the nation at the joint session of Congress

on May 25, 1961

It showed that losing life is one of the most unfavorable loss, consequently, safety factor must
be included in every stage of project life cycle, as Blackwell, 2021 claimed that “Safety must not be
compromised”.

Third, planning is the key and follow the plan step-by-step keeps focus. When it comes a mega
scale project with loads of work packages need to be done, a project planning is the key. In Apollo project,
3 years prior to the President public announcement, a feasible study of Mercury had started and at the
same time of the Apollo started point in 1961, Gemini program was also started. These show that NASA
had already internally planned their next step to achieve the landing man to the Moon. Years were spent
in planning and developing and when the plan was set, NASA followed the plan step-by-step by sending
the Gemini to study the effect of long duration flight and the possibility to conduct the work outside the
spacecraft with spacesuit before actually launching the Apollo spacecraft. This step-by-step working keeps
the focus of what they were doing and what result they were looking for, including why they need this
information and to proof that their hypothesis can be used in Apollo program. This helps the team stay
on topic.

Last, good communication could possibly lead to success. It is evident that NASA created their
organization chart that every department shall directly contact each other to transfer the information and
develop relationships between departments. Their direct conversation between team improves
relationship among them and creates a positive working environment. With good relationship and good
communication between team, data and information obtained and shared were used accurately and
reduce the level of miscommunication that might be occurred.
 Even though 3 astronauts perished in the Apollo 1, Apollo program was counted as a very
successful project that created the standard to later space exploration program. The way the project
objectives were defined, how NASA managed the resources and stakeholders including how they dealt
with the uncertainties are the model. If the similar project were held, the similar method as NASA shall be
used to develop a management to be as good as they did.
 Reference

1. Arrilucea, E (2018), Mission-oriented R&I policies: In-depth case studies Case Study Report Apollo
Project (US). Luxembourg: European Commission.

2. Blackwell, P. (2021). Project Quality and Management Planning, MSCI610 Project Management
Tools, Techniques and Theories. 21 October, Lancaster University

3. Mathews, C. (1968) Foreword. In Grimwood J, Hacker B and Vorzimmer P. National Aeronautics

and Space Administration: Project Gemini Technology and Operations A Chronology, [Accessed 14
November 2021] Available at: https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4002/foreword.htm

4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2014) Project Apollo: A Retrospective Analysis.
[website] National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available at:
https://history.nasa.gov/Apollomon/Apollo.html [Assessed 14 November 2021]

5. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2017) About Project Mercury. [website] National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available at:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/program-toc.html [Assessed 14
November 2021]

6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2017) Project Mercury Overview – Summary.
[websites] National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available at:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/summary.html [Assessed 14 November
2021]

7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2019) The Apollo Missions. [website] National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available at:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/index.html [Assess 9 November 2021]
8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2021) About NASA. [website] National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/about/index.html
[Assessed 10 November 2021]

9. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2021) NASA Missions A-Z, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, viewed 10 November 2021, <https://www.nasa.gov/missions>

10. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2021) What is NASA?. [website] National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Available at:
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-nasa-58.html
[Assessed 10 November 2021]

11. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., (2005), PROJECT APOLLO The Tough Decisions, National Aeronautics and
Space Administration Office of External Relations History Division