R.I.P. Margaret Hamilton, whose code saved the Apollo 11 Moon landing
Summary
Margaret Hamilton, a pioneer in software engineering, led the team that developed the flight software for NASA’s Apollo Moon missions. She passed away at 90 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 for her work.Key Facts
- Margaret Hamilton led the creation of the flight software used in NASA’s Apollo program in the 1960s.
- She coined the term “software engineering.”
- Hamilton was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
- She was included as a LEGO minifigure in the 2017 “Women of NASA” set.
- Hamilton programmed early computers like the LGP-30 without formal training, teaching herself how to code.
- She worked with famous mathematician Edward Lorenz on weather modeling before joining NASA projects.
- Hamilton helped develop software to support Apollo 11’s successful Moon landing.
- She overcame challenges such as debugging with innovative, manual methods, like editing binary code with pencil and tape.
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