We are Go for launch.
My editor asked, “So, what’s one thing you’ve been putting off? “
My immediate thought: What haven’t I been putting off?
I’ve been working on edits and final preparations for my upcoming book for a while… and life keeps life-ing. So, I delayed. I had planned to launch my Substack in July and keep pushing the launch date.
Readying systems for implementation, primarily in the context of skill acquisition or changing behaviors, is one of my special talents. I revel in the minutiae of preparing for a “launch.”
There are years of preparation for a NASA launch. A mission lands on the launch services manifest or tentative calendar years in advance. Production can occur in multiple states before assembly at Kennedy Space Center. Systems get numerous tests. There’s a dry dress rehearsal without fuel. Then a wet dress rehearsal with rocket fuel. The wet dress rehearsal is when the most lethal mistakes are often caught.
Now it sounds a lot like a book launch. My book was manifested for summer of 2026. You’ve got production. Illustrators, copy editing, cover design, interior work. The dry dress rehearsal of beta readers.
It’s funny as an analogy because I come from a family of aviators some of whom have worked for NASA. As for me, I learned to fly before I learned to drive.
Before launch day, the crew goes into quarantine. Engineers review thousands of systems. By the time the flight director starts the go- no go team poll, the shuttle is ready to fly but people still need to determine if it should. The countdown enters a hold while the poll is taken.
“Alright team, we’re at T-minus ten minutes and holding. We’ll conduct the final go, no-go poll for launch. Please respond with your system status when called.”
This is an important period because after this point, control is transferred to the onboard computers. The abort window narrows. Go doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It doesn’t mean risks don’t exist. Go means the system is functioning within certified limits. Risks have been accepted and fall within agreed safety margins.
“Weather.”
“Weather is GO.”
“Range.”
“Range is GO.”
“Propulsion.”
“Propulsion is GO.”
And so it goes for ground systems, guidance, avionics, flight software, communications, recovery, and so on until the launch director affirms, “We are GO for launch. Resume the count.”
If there is a NO-GO, then hold remains until the launch is scrubbed or the system is a GO. There is no time urgency. Space is unforgiving and NASA has developed strict rules for even unmanned tests. Launches aren’t late or on time. They’re either ready or not.
But not everything has quite that degree of risk. All my systems do not need to be a GO and launch simultaneously. They don’t have to be perfect. They don’t all have to be in sequence.
Creative works are inherently messy. I might not post weekly. I might write about topics that aren’t all related. Sometimes you get the most information from testing and revision. This isn’t the final countdown. It’s just one of many. I’m not late. I’ve just finally arrived at Kennedy Space Center.
“Please respond with your system status when called.”
“Substack.”
It’s not perfect.
I answered anyway.
“Substack is GO for launch.”