As early as 1961, Soviet and American space scientists planned for mid-course corrections: those tiny bursts of rocket power designed to keep spacecraft on their trajectories to the Moon, Mars and beyond.  With such long voyages, mid-course corrections are crucial to keeping space flights on track with the minimum of effort – and reserving fuel for later adjustments.

The high-tech opposite of this is something I’ve come to think of as the “post-course correction.”  This is the panicky “oops” moment when your startup realizes – much too late – that its core strategy and assumptions are flawed.  In space terms, you’ve missed the moon and don’t have enough resources left for dramatic course changes.  There’s still air in the cabin (money in the bank), but little hope of a soft landing. Continue reading →