Putting the lesson before the test: Using simulation to analyze and develop competitive strategies

✍ Scribed by David J. Reibstein; Mark J. Chussil

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Weight: 130 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1058-0247
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6386(199931)10:1<34::aid-cir6>3.0.co;2-h

✦ Synopsis

When the astronauts of Apollo 13 were making their perilous voyage home in their damaged capsule, mission control placed an astronaut into a flight simulator on the ground to work out the delicate maneuvers needed to return the mission safely to Earth. The controllers in Hous-ton had to balance and assess many complicated issues and options, and they knew they had only one chance to get it right. They knew there was no substitute for experience, but, as the sage said, "experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." The astronaut in the simulator gave them the experience they needed to make their tough decisions before they risked the lives of those in the real capsule.