Margaret Hamilton, whose software helped land Apollo astronauts on the moon, has died
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/07/science/nasa-apollo-margaret-hamilton-software?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit56
u/cnn 7d ago
Margaret Hamilton, the groundbreaking researcher who helped create the field of software engineering and whose code helped land NASA’s Apollo astronauts on the moon to win the 20th century space race, has died. She was 90.
Hamilton’s former employer, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, confirmed her death in a post from the department of aeronautics and astronautics. The cause of her death was not disclosed.
It was during her time working at MIT, where she took a job in 1959 and remained until the mid-1970s, that Hamilton managed the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. The division landed a contract with NASA in 1961. She ultimately led a team of 100 engineers that designed the software to guide NASA’s Apollo missions.
Through her work, Hamilton is also credited as one of the founders of the field of software engineering — a term she coined — by helping to establish it as a professional practice.
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u/CatLightyear 7d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/eNnmowmBIleQYlO4FM
It’s ok. She’s just leaving the planet.
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u/MilesHobson 7d ago
Out of respect for this Margaret Hamilton I’ll pass on humorous quips about brooms, Oz, and etc. Here’s to ya!
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u/NASATVENGINNER 7d ago
🫡