Margaret Hamilton, Apollo software pioneer, dies at 90

Margaret Hamilton, the pioneering computer scientist who led development of onboard flight software for NASA’s Apollo program, died on Sept. 30 at age 90, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced.

Hamilton joined MIT in 1959, initially programming weather-prediction software for meteorologist Edward Lorenz. She later worked at MIT Lincoln Laboratory on software for the U.S. military’s SAGE air-defense system before joining the Apollo project as its first programmer and first woman hired, as she recalled in a 2019 Guardian interview.

As head of the Software Engineering Division at MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory, Hamilton led the team responsible for writing and testing Apollo’s in-flight software. During Apollo 11’s descent to the Moon in 1969, the onboard computer became overloaded and issued alarms. Priority-driven software developed by Hamilton’s team dropped less important tasks and preserved those needed for the landing, allowing astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to continue safely.

Hamilton worked at MIT until the mid-1970s and later founded software companies, including Hamilton Technologies. She authored more than 130 publications and helped establish software engineering as a distinct discipline.

President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, recognizing her contributions to computing and space exploration. According to MIT, Hamilton is survived by her daughter, son-in-law, two grandsons and four great-grandchildren.