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Margaret Hamilton, the American computer scientist who led the development of software that helped NASA land astronauts on the Moon, has died at the age of 90, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced Wednesday.
Hamilton, who died on Sept. 30, played a central role in NASA's Apollo program, overseeing the software that guided spacecraft during missions that enabled the United States to put the first humans on the Moon.
MIT, where she worked from 1959 until the mid-1970s, described her as a computing pioneer whose contributions helped shape the emerging field of software engineering.
Hamilton's work proved particularly important during the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969, when the Eagle lunar module was preparing to land on the Moon.
According to NASA, approximately three minutes before touchdown, her software intervened to overcome a faulty script, allowing the mission to continue safely.
Her team had developed systems designed to withstand errors and prevent technical problems from jeopardizing missions.
Hamilton joined MIT in 1959, initially working in meteorology before moving into the Apollo project in 1965. She became the project's first programmer and first female programmer, eventually taking charge of major software development operations.
By 1968, she had become assistant director responsible for the Apollo Command and Service Module software team, while more than 400 people were working on the program's software.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman paid tribute to Hamilton on X, describing her as a pioneer whose work made humanity's first lunar journeys possible.
Olivier de Weck, interim head of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said that calling Hamilton ahead of her time would be an understatement, pointing to her leadership in developing one of the most complex technological systems ever undertaken.
Jerry Wohletz, CEO of Draper Laboratory, which emerged from MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory, said Hamilton's contributions to the Apollo Guidance Computer helped astronauts reach the lunar surface and return safely to Earth.
Hamilton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States' highest civilian honors, from then-President Barack Obama in 2016.
Reflecting on the Apollo program in a 2009 interview with MIT News, Hamilton recalled the responsibility carried by the young engineers developing the software.
"There was no second chance. We knew that. We took our work seriously, many of us beginning this journey while still in our 20s," she said.
"Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers," she added.
Born in Indiana in 1936, Hamilton studied mathematics before moving to Boston with her husband in 1959. Beyond her work at NASA, she published more than 130 papers and founded two software companies, Higher Order Software and Hamilton Technologies.
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