Margaret Hamilton, scientist who worked on NASA’s Apollo program, dies at 90

American scientist Margaret Hamilton, who played a crucial role in developing the computer system used by NASA’s Apollo lunar program, has passed away at the age of 90, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT described Hamilton, who taught at the prestigious institution from 1959 to the mid-1970s, as a "computing pioneer" and expressed their profound admiration for her groundbreaking work.

MIT's Apollo Program Professor and interim head of the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, Olivier de Weck, hailed Hamilton as a software engineer who emerged during the infancy of the field and led a team in utilizing this nascent technology to create one of humanity's most complex systems. Hamilton's contributions were instrumental in the United States' victory in the space race, enabling the Apollo program to successfully land humans on the Moon.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman paid tribute to Hamilton, hailing her as "a pioneer whose work helped make Apollo and humanity's first journeys to the moon possible." Born in Indiana in 1936, Hamilton pursued mathematics before relocating to Boston, Massachusetts with her husband in 1959. She began her career at MIT, initially working in meteorology before joining a lab in 1965 to develop software for the Apollo program.

In 1968, Hamilton became the assistant director responsible for the Command and Service Module team, overseeing a team of over 400 engineers dedicated to the software development for Apollo's systems. Her groundbreaking work was recognized with the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Barack Obama in 2016.

Hamilton herself reflected on the challenges and dedication required for her role during the Apollo missions, stating that the team knew they had only one chance to get it right and that they approached their work with unwavering commitment and respect for one another.