Akin’s Laws of Spacecraft Design

These are the excerpts that hit home the most.

To design a spacecraft right takes an infinite amount of effort. This is why it’s a good idea to design them to operate when some things are wrong .
At the start of any design effort, the person who most wants to be team leader is least likely to be capable of it.
There is never a single right solution. There are always multiple wrong ones, though.
Design is based on requirements. There’s no justification for designing something one bit “better” than the requirements dictate.
A bad design with a good presentation is doomed eventually. A good design with a bad presentation is doomed immediately.
(von Tiesenhausen’s Law of Engineering Design) If you want to have a maximum effect on the design of a new engineering system, learn to draw. Engineers always wind up designing the vehicle to look like the initial artist’s concept.
(McBryan’s Law) You can’t make it better until you make it work.