Margaret Hamilton, who led development of NASA's Apollo program computer system, died at age 90 on September 30, according to MIT, where she taught from 1959 to the mid-1970s. Hamilton is celebrated as a pioneer in software engineering; her work ensured the success of the Apollo 11 mission by making critical onboard systems robust and accident-resistant. NASA chief Jared Isaacman called her contributions pivotal to landing humans on the Moon, while MIT lauded her leadership in developing software that helped safely guide astronauts to and from the lunar surface.
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Story summary
Margaret Hamilton, a pioneering computer scientist who developed critical software for NASA's Apollo program, died at age 90 on September 30. Born in Indiana in 1936, she studied mathematics and later joined MIT where she became the first programmer hired by NASA for the Apollo project in 1965. Her work was crucial during the historic moon landing of Apollo 11 in 1969, particularly when her software successfully managed hardware issues, ensuring the mission's success. Hamilton’s contributions made her a symbol of women in technology and were celebrated widely posthumously by NASA and MIT, who recognized her as a trailblazer in an era before "software engineering" was even a common term.
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American scientist Margaret Hamilton, who led development of the computer system used by Nasa’s Apollo lunar program, has died at the age of 90, her former employer said Wednesday.
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employer → lead → 90
In a statement, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology called Hamilton, who taught at the prestigious university from 1959 to the mid-1970s, a “computing pioneer” and said she died on September 30.
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she → call → September
“To say Margaret Hamilton was a pioneer — to say she was ahead of her time — would be a dramatic understatement,” said Olivier de Weck, the Apollo Program Professor and interim head of the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
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Weck → say → Aeronautics
“She was a software engineer at a time when that field was in its infancy, and she not only developed advanced code herself but also led a team in using that nascent technology to develop one of the most complex systems humanity had ever achieved,” de Weck added.
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Weck → develop → systems
The famed Apollo program allowed the United States to beat the Soviet Union in the race to become the first humans to land on the Moon.
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States → allow → Moon
NASA chief Jared Isaacman paid tribute to Hamilton on X, calling her “a pioneer whose work helped make Apollo and humanity’s first journeys to the moon possible.”
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Apollo → pay → moon
Born in Indiana in 1936, Hamilton studied mathematics before moving to Boston, Massachusetts with her husband in 1959.
She found employment at MIT, working in meteorology before she joined a lab in 1965 that was seeking people to develop software to “send a man to the Moon.”
Hamilton “was hired as the first programmer for the Apollo project at MIT, as well as the first female programmer in the project,” the university said.
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university → bear → project
“By 1968, she was assistant director in charge of (Apollo’s) Command and Service Module team, and more than 400 people were working on Apollo’s software,” MIT said.
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MIT → work → software
‘Pioneer’
Hamilton was credited with making critical onboard systems more robust and accident-resistant.
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systems → credit → ?
Her software intervened approximately three minutes before the Eagle lander of the historic Apollo 11 mission touched down on the Moon, overriding a faulty script and ensuring the mission could safely continue, according to NASA.
Jerry Wohletz, CEO of the Draper Laboratory — which was spun out of the MIT Instrumentation Lab — said Hamilton left “an indelible mark” on the company.
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Hamilton → intervene → company
“Through her leadership and contributions to the development of the onboard flight software for Nasa’s Apollo Guidance Computer, she helped ensure that Apollo astronauts landed safely on the lunar surface and safely returned home,” he said.
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he → ensure → surface
“We will honour her legacy at Draper forever.”
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We → honour → Draper
Hamilton was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former president Barack Obama in 2016 for her achievements.
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Hamilton → award → achievements
In 2009, Hamilton told MIT News: “There was no second chance.
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Hamilton → tell → News
We knew that.
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We → know → that
“We took our work seriously, many of us beginning this journey while still in our 20s.”
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many → take → 20s
“Coming up with solutions and new ideas was an adventure.
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Coming → come → solutions
Dedication and commitment were a given.
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Dedication → give → ?
Because software was a mystery, a black box, upper management gave us total freedom and trust,” Hamilton added.
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Hamilton → give → freedom
“Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers,” she said.
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she → look → world
Hamilton went on to publish more than 130 papers and started her own software companies Higher Order Software and Hamilton Technologies.
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Hamilton → go → companies
The Aporia
