Chapter: Simple Solutions
During the space race in the 1960’s the United States and Soviet both had a problem that needed a solution. They realized that the ballpoint pen wouldn’t work in zero gravity, and that they needed to figure out another way for the astronauts/cosmonauts to be able to write things down.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spent two years and millions of dollars of taxpayer money to develop a pen that could put ink onto paper without gravity. The result was the perfect pen that could write in weightlessness, upside down, on almost any surface and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 degrees Celsius.
So what did the Russians do? According to the legend, they solved the same problem – simply by using graphite pencils.
Possible Moral
The Russian cosmonauts used an old, effective, cheap and tested solution. Why spend millions when you already have technology that works? Most of us tend to try and solve challenges by trying to hard, either to impress others or ourselves. I want you to try and perform the act of simplification. Eliminate all but the essential until you find the real issue and the basic need, and you are likely to discover a great yet basic solution. For me, to simplify is to also step inside my comfort zone. Thinking inside the box can many times be more rewarding than trying to achieve something original, expensive and mind-blowing.
Story from We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish.
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