Growing up, I rarely had to look for guidance. On my first job outside of home, for instance, I learned the value of workmanship. It was the summer before I started seventh grade, and like many young men at that age, I got my first taste of the working world by mowing lawns.
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![Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket arrives at CCAFS Description: At Hangar J, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), work is begun on the Centaur upper stage that will be used with an Atlas IIA rocket to launch the latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) June 29 from CCAFS. The Atlas/Centaur launch vehicle is manufactured and operated by Lockheed Martin. Atlas IIA is capable of lifting payload systems to geosynchronous transfer orbit.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ATLAS-ASK-1-670x380.jpg)
Twice in my NASA career I have had the opportunity to mentor young assistant mission managers. The first experience occurred when I was mission manager for the International Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS).
By Todd Post In one of my earlier careers as a rhetorician, I learned that the best way to understand a subject lies in listening to individuals talk about it from their own experiences.
By Dr. Alexander Laufer Learning from Experience I was confused and didn’t know how to react when Jim Carroll, a highly regarded figure in the construction industry, proudly presented me with his “Nine Elements for Project Success,” the product of two years arduous labor.
By Dr. Edward Hoffman I sat mesmerized the other evening listening to a discussion about the space program. The event was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. A panel of prominent media insiders was sharing stories of the Space Race and the Apollo dramas that unfolded with it.
Driving back to my hotel, I felt exhausted. I had just spent four days at the Defense Systems Management College, meeting with 12 small groups of program management students to discuss a case study they had just completed.
![](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Shazam-and-his-mentor.jpg)
It’s amazing how the things you learn growing up stick with you. Take my introduction early in life with mentoring. I was introduced to this concept in a 1970s Saturday morning television show called “Shazam.”
![WMAP used the Moon to gain velocity for a slingshot to L2. After 3 phasing loops around the Earth, WMAP flew just behind the orbit of the Moon, three weeks after launch. Using the Moon's gravity, WMAP steals an infinitesimal amount of the Moon's energy to maneuver into the L2 Lagrange point, one million miles (1.5 million km) beyond the Earth.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/WMAP-Citrin-Interview-670x380.jpg)
ASK: You came to project management from a systems engineering background, correct?
![A worker from Marshall's Rapid Prototype Group inspects a prototype of the rocket based combined cycle engine (RBCC). Rapid prototyping group provides engineering models for many MSFC projects. The group takes computer designs from Marshall engineers and then make models based on these designs. They use many irnovative techniques to provide Marshall engineers with models of their designs.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Rapid-Prototyping-670x380.jpg)
Background Rapid Prototyping is a viable approach to product development on projects and initiatives whose success depends on a significant amount of customer input.