When Improvisation Is Not An Option

There’s historically an American appreciation for “rugged individualism.” The romantic ideal of making it on your own — being a “maverick” (or branding yourself as one).

I’ve noticed this tendency in myself–no, I’m no John McCain, but for much of my life I was not much of a joiner. That isn’t to say I wasn’t that proverbial “good team player;” just that I trust my instincts and find solitary pursuits fulfilling and stimulating.

However, there comes a time when going it alone–or improvising– is not only not the best option–but not an option at all.

The legendary first man on the Moon himself, Neil Armstrong spoke about the need for teamwork on his historic mission in a letter to NPR’s Robert Krulwich:

I talked about Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s walk across the lunar surface back in 1969 and wondered, how come they walked such a modest distance? Less than a hundred yards from their lander?

Today Neil Armstrong wrote in to say, here are the reasons:

• It was really, really hot on the moon, 200 degrees Fahrenheit. We needed protection.
• We were wearing new-fangled, water-cooled uniforms and didn’t know how long the coolant would last.
• We didn’t know how far we could go in our space suits.