An early and crucial decision was choosing lunar orbit rendezvous over both direct ascent and Earth orbit rendezvous.
ɐn ˈɜːli ænd kɹˈuːʃəl dᵻsˈɪʒən wʌz tʃˈuːzɪŋ lˈuːnɚɹ ˈɔːɹbɪt ɹˈɑːndɪvˌuː ˌoʊvɚ bˈoʊθ dᵻɹˈɛkt ɐsˈɛnt ænd ˈɜːθ ˈɔːɹbɪt ɹˈɑːndɪvˌuː.