Margaret Hamilton, computer pioneer behind mankind's moon landings, has passed away

 

Margaret Hamilton inside an Apollo command module simulator

Margaret Hamilton, the brilliant mathematician behind the then-nascent field of software engineering and the lead programmer of the Apollo effort that put humanity on the moon, has passed away at the age of ninety.

But what a life Hamilton had!  Early on she demonstrated a prowess for mathematics.  She followed that into higher education and wound up at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  There she was brought aboard NASA to work on the computer systems for the Apollo spacecraft.  It was during this phase of her career that Hamilton developed error-correction code that in the case of Apollo 11 kept the vessel from disaster during landing.

Here are the famous photos of Margaret Hamilton with the enormous pile of computer code that she and her team developed for Apollo 11:

After the Apollo program ended, Hamilton started her own company and consistently contributed to various publications.  She definitely stayed busy!  In 2016 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work toward the space effort.

Margaret Hamilton was a true pioneer and heroine of science and technology.  This would be a far lesser world without her breaking ground for what came after.  Hers was a life well lived, and worth honoring.

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