This morning NASA confirmed that the SpaceX mission sending the Dragon had officially been captured as well as completely docked with the ISS – history has been made! The first of two stages of docking was made 10:52 AM CST, the second at 11:02 AM CST, both stages needed at the International Space Station before the pod can be officially docked and the mission can be seen as a success. This docking comes after a single missed opportunity launch on Earth followed by a successful launch, this making SpaceX the first commercial group to launch and successfully attach to the ISS.
This is a historic day for NASA as well as the whole earth as we enter a whole new age of space travel with private groups working directly with government-run space missions. Though we have had rockets sent to space before from non-government sources, this is the first time private and public groups have attached directly. SpaceX has previously launched rockets into space with payloads that included ashes of private citizens.
*Fun fact: this mission also included ashes of private citizens including the actor that played Scotty in the original Star Trek television series.
“We have confirmation at 10:52 of a nominal first-stage capture” was the first of two announcements made in this docking process, the last process that had to be made before the Dragon pod was officially attached to the ISS. At 11:02 CST the official call was made and the mission was complete, the entire mission taking 3 days 8 hours 18 minutes from start to finish. SpaceX, NASA, and of course SlashGear celebrate on this fabulous day for space travel!
Scott Gerber is the founder of the 
Keeping as many competencies as possible in-house gives us better quality and cost control, and allows us to be very nimble. For example, updates to our website, product photos, and layouts for our catalogs and advertisements are all done in-house. We call on outside specialists only for certain big projects, like a redesign of the website or complete software creation. 
For more established businesses, beware of outsourcing all your web-development projects, especially because the code can be messy to work with later. Instead, only outsource small projects. This means that you limit your reliance on an outside firm, and you make sure that you can optimize resources so your own tech team isn’t overwhelmed with having to do every little thing. 
If a mobile app is not a core part of your business but only a feature you’d like to provide to your customers, it’s an ideal tech job to outsource. Because of the breadth of platforms (iOS, Android, etc.) and the concrete, repeatable milestones of app development, reputable third-party providers have sprung up. These mobile-app development shops have the expertise to be successful in this type of arrangement. 
You can outsource any tech work, if you’ve got excellent project specs and you set clear expectations for documentation and other details. But be aware that outsourcing may be more work than you expect. You need to create the documents to make sure that all your development work meets set expectations and follows similar style guidelines so that you don’t go crazy down the road trying to work with old code. 
Outsourcing website design is very safe if you provide detailed instructions. We internally will develop a comprehensive treatment, which includes the emotional look and feel we want to convey, as well as the homepage content. We then have the designer go in phases, page by page. This provides great quality control and ensures timely deliverables. 
By hiring one or two employees, website design and digital could stay in-house. Motion media is something you usually need more frequently, so it’s better to outsource. We outsourced to Chimaeric and quickly learned that outsourcing motion media not only provides higher quality, but expands the capabilities of what you can do. 
If the job does not involve a core competency of your business, outsource it. If it is a core competency, hire excellent people and pay them what they’re worth. 
As a rule, we outsource jobs that are straightforward, because they don’t need intense supervision. Also, if the jobs are repetitive, they only need to be explained once. 
Almost anything can be outsourced. However, don’t fall into the trap of hiring someone who says he/she can do some or all of the tasks you throw at them. If you need a PHP programmer, hire one. If you need a person to create a .PSD design for your website, hire a professional who’s done excellent site templates in that format. Always try to find a specialist, not a jack of all trades. 
Outsource to get the best, not to save money. Find the digital partner who brings the most value to the table and invest in a longstanding relationship. In addition to amazing design and technology, the best digital firms will add value to your business by providing big ideas. Don’t underestimate the worth of fresh, expert eyes that are invested in your success. 
