Problems began when the computer was overloaded with commands from the rendezvous radar and the landing system, requiring more processing power than the computer could handle. These lessons were formalized into a theory for systems and software, which serves as the origin and much of the foundation of hamiltons universal systems language usl. Jul, 2019 margaret hamilton in 1969 with the source code her team developed for the apollo missions. May 19, 2017 she culminated the apollo effort by leading her team in performing an empirical analysis based on lessons learned from the development of the apollo onboard flight software. Hamilton, who popularized the term software engineering, took some chiding for it. The chm cited hamilton for her leadership and work on software for dod and nasas apollo space missions and for fundamental contributions to software engineering. Draper laboratory margaret hamilton stands next to the navigation software that her team designed for the apollo mission. Margaret hamilton has a long list of accomplishments. Jul 20, 2015 people celebrated the world over, though few were more relieved than margaret hamilton. The apollo 11 source code lists her title as programming leader.
Margaret hamilton, nasas first software engineer youtube. Jan 12, 2017 the term software engineering, incidentally, was her coinage. Learn more about some important women in technology. Mar 14, 2019 margaret hamilton led the nasa software team that landed astronauts on the moon apollos successful computing software was optimized to deal with unknown problems and to interrupt one task to. If you were to create a short list of women who influenced software engineering, one of the first picks would be margaret hamilton. Incredibly, it was used to take humanity to the moon, 1969. Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer for nasas. Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer for nasas apollo.
For her work during this period, hamilton has been credited with popularizing the concept of software engineering. Article includes rarelyseen outtakes of hamilton and her code from the mit museum. Jul 19, 2017 when it comes to margaret hamilton s career, she literally shoots for the moon. Hamilton, now an independent computer scientist, described for mit news in 2009 her contributions to the apollo software which last month was. Margaret hamilton wasnt supposed to invent the modern concept of. Hamilton helped write the software for the apollo spacecraft. Back then, software engineering was a relatively obscure profession and regarded by many as an art and as magic, not a.
Incredibly, it was used to take humanity to the moon, 1969 0 comments. The very first contract nasa issued for the apollo program in august 1961 was with the massachusetts institute of technology to develop the guidance and navigation system for the apollo spacecraft. Jun 28, 2019 just before landing on the moon was the most exciting part, for some of us at least, margaret hamilton, lead developer for the apollo onboard flight software, said in a recent interview. Oct 03, 2018 margaret hamilton, lead software engineer for nasas apollo 11 mission there was no choice but to be pioneers. Margaret hamilton 1989 photo nasa press release, 3 september 2003 nasa honors apollo engineer margaret hamilton, leader of the team that developed the flight software for the agencys apollo missions, has been granted a nasa exceptional space act award for her scientific and technical contributions. Hamilton received the nasa exceptional space act award 2003 and the presidential medal of. Margaret hamilton wasnt supposed to invent the modern concept of software and land men on the moon. It was one of many benchmark moments for hamilton, who helped pioneer the yettobenamed field of software engineering during the days of the apollo program. Margaret hamilton awarded presidential medal of freedom nasa. This time around, we focus on mathematician and software engineer margaret hamilton, the critical mind behind the 1969 apollo moon landing. In that instant, hamilton felt confident in her software. Nov 23, 2016 hamilton was honored by nasa in 2003, when she was presented a special award recognizing the value of her innovations in the apollo software development.
She led the team who developed the software for the apollo moon missions and for the skylab space station. The code that got apollo to the moon margaret hamilton and the code that got apollo to the moon. Margaret hamilton, the woman behind the onboard flight software for nasa apollo lunar modules and command modules, was among the 21 recipients. Margaret hamilton accepted an award at the intrepid museum in new york city on may 23, 2019. In 1969, nasa relied on software engineer margaret hamilton to safely land the apollo 11 astronauts on the lunar surface and to bring them back home. Dec 04, 2017 when nasa ordered the software from the mit and margaret learned about their agreement, she called the university to apply for the job. But in one heartstopping moment, warning messages flashed on the computer. Incredibly, it was used to take humanity to the moon, 1969 check this blog. One of the many contributors to this effort was margaret hamilton, a computer scientist who led the software engineering division of the mit instrumentation laboratory, which in 1961 contracted with nasa to develop the apollo programs guidance system.
Apr 10, 2018 if you were to create a short list of women who influenced software engineering, one of the first picks would be margaret hamilton. Apollo 11 software engineer margaret hamilton recalls moon landing time the july 20, 1969, moon landing was a big day for hamilton. Apollo software engineer margaret hamilton receives. For her leadership and work on software for dod and nasas apollo space missions and for fundamental contributions to software engineering margaret h. Google creates massivescale tribute to apollo 11 software. Margaret hamilton takes software engineering to the moon. May 29, 2019 the intrepid museum in new york city kicked off a summer of apollo events by honoring software engineer margaret hamilton with the institutions lifetime achievement award. Margaret hamilton, apollo software engineer, named a. Margaret hamilton led the nasa software team that landed. Foodporn, historyporn, earthporn margaret hamilton, nasa. The apollo 11 moon landing was about the astronauts, mission control, software and hardware all working together as a seamless integrated system. How margaret hamiltons software put men on the moon. How did you end up joining the apollo project in 1964.
For her work, she was honored with the presidential medal of freedom in 2016. Nasa honors apollo engineer margaret hamilton, leader of the team that developed the flight software for the agencys apollo missions, has been granted a nasa exceptional space act award for her scientific and technical contributions. I remember thinking, oh my god, it worked, the pioneering software engineer tells time. Margaret hamilton, lead apollo flight software engineer, in the apollo command module.
Margaret heafield hamilton, computer scientist, systems engineer and business owner. Vox published an interview of her on last years anniversary of the first moon landing. Margaret hamilton, nasas lead software engineer for the apollo program, stands next to the code she wrote by hand. The term software engineering, incidentally, was her coinage. Today, margaret hamilton is being honored again this time at the white house.
Apollo 11 software engineer margaret hamilton recalls moon. The apollo 11 source code lists her title as programming. Hamilton led the team that developed the building blocks of software engineering a term that she coined herself. The code of margaret hamilton that got humans to the moon. Hamilton s software prevented apollo 11 disaster margaret hamilton sits in a mockup of the apollo command module in november 1969. Hamilton discusses joining nasa as their first software engineer and. Margaret hamilton at mit during the apollo 11 mission. On november 22, 2016, president barack obama awarded hamilton the presidential medal of freedom for her contribution that led to apollo 11s. Margaret hamilton coding to the moon a computer of ones.
As she likes to say, the eagles crew were the first humans to walk on the lunar surfaceand her teams. Margaret hamilton was the lead software engineer of the apollo project. Margaret hamilton got a glowing moonlit tribute 50 years. But more than anything, we were dedicated to the missions and worked side by side to solve the challenging problems and to meet the critical deadlines. Is this a photo of margaret hamilton standing next to. Science history imagesalamy stock photo did your life as a software engineer. Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer, project apollo.
Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer of the apollo. Margaret hamilton computer scientist nasa solar system. The group grew so there were approximately 100 software engineers on my team. Margaret heafield hamilton is an american computer scientist, systems engineer and business owner. Hamilton was born in paoli, indiana, and studied mathematics at the university of michigan and earlham college. Instead of rehashing a biography, i would like to encourage any. Margaret hamilton, who wrote apollo spacecraft guidance software, awarded presidential medal of freedom. Hamilton discusses joining nasa as their first software engineer and creating the software that launched the apollo. Margaret hamilton, apollo software engineer, awarded.
You first worked on the software for the unmanned apollo missions. By relentlessly rooting out errors, the original software engineer helped send astronauts to the moon. When it comes to margaret hamiltons career, she literally shoots for the moon. It was her efforts on this project that made her a candidate for the position at nasa as the lead developer for apollo flight software. When her application was accepted, hamilton joined the charles stark draper laboratory, where she later became the director and supervisor of software programming for the apollo and skylab projects. Hamilton apollo couple worked missions apollo 8 comes a close second, it not equal, to apollo 11 for the most exciting, memorable moments on the apollo project. Margaret hamilton, leader of the team that developed the flight software for the agencys apollo missions. She was director of the software engineering division of the mit instrumentation laboratory, which developed onboard flight software for nasas apollo program. Women like margaret hamilton, who, beginning in 1961, helped nasa develop the apollo programs guidance system that took u. None of which would have been possible without the contributions of one engineer. Here, margaret is shown standing beside listings of the software developed by her and the team she was in charge of, the lm lunar module and cm command module onboard flight software team.
Dec 08, 2014 margaret hamilton, lead software engineer, project apollo. She was director of the software engineering division of the mit instrumentation laboratory, which developed onboard flight software for nasa apollo program. Today that title would probably be something along the line of lead software engineer. Her systems approach to the apollo software development and insistence on rigorous testing was critical to the success of apollo. Hamilton discusses joining nasa as their first software engineer and creating the software that launched the apollo 11 first manned mission to. Critics said it inflated her works importance, but today, when software engineers represent a fervently. The award included the largest financial award that nasa had ever presented to any individual up to that point. Margaret hamilton stands next to a stack of program listings from the. Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer of the apollo project, stands next to the code she wrote by hand and that was used to take humanity to the moon.
Margaret hamilton, nasas lead software engineer for the apollo program, stands next to the code she wrote by hand that took humanity to the moon in 1969. Margaret hamilton margaret hamilton joined mit to work on software projects including meteorological software for edward lorenz, father of chaos theory, and sage system software that searched for enemy airplanes before landing on the mitnasa contract as the. Jun 21, 2016 verne 2015 margaret hamilton, the engineer who took the apollo to the moon, medium. When the program started, she was director of software engineering at mit. This is a great photo i just ran across on the internets. The apollo 11 moon landing was one of the most memorable moments of 20thcentury history, and margaret hamilton s code made it possible.
She helped write the computer code for the command and lunar modules used on the apollo missions to the moon in. Computer science and software engineering were not yet disciplines. For her work during this period, hamilton has been credited with popularizing the concept. May 29, 2019 intrepid museum honors apollo software engineer margaret hamilton by meghan bartels may 29, 2019. It said it was margaret hamilton, apollo program, but it didnt say who. We speak to margaret hamilton, the pioneering software engineer whose work helped neil armstrong make his giant leap and changed the. Did you know that the term software engineering was coined by margaret hamilton, the lead flight software engineer of the apollo 11 mission. Margaret hamilton is an american computer scientist and software engineer. Hamilton, a computer programmer, would wind up leading the software engineering division of the mit instrumentation laboratory now draper labs. Margaret hamilton nasa software engineer for the apollo. By then, hamilton was the head of software engineering for the apollo program.
Thats what margaret hamilton has to say about her experience engineering software for nasa at mit massachusetts institute of technology in the 1960s. Dec 07, 2018 the mission could have been aborted but thanks to margaret hamilton and her. My daughter lauren would often come to work with me at nights and weekends because we were all so dedicated. As she likes to say, the eagles crew were the first humans to. It was 1960, not a time when women were encouraged to seek out highpowered technical work. Foodporn, historyporn, earthporn margaret hamilton, nasas lead software engineer for the apollo program, stands next to the code she wrote by hand. Is this a photo of margaret hamilton standing next to apollo. On the apollo 11 mission, margaret hamilton watched as the software designed by her team guided astronauts neil armstrong and buzz aldrin toward the moons surface. Hamilton has published more than papers, proceedings and reports about sixty projects and. Her code fixed a malfunction that couldve prevented buzz aldrin and neil armstrong from landing safely. Her code got humans on the moonand invented software.
She later founded two software companieshigher order software in 1976 and hamilton technologies in 1986, both in cambridge, massachusetts. Nasa credits margaret hamilton with the term software engineering. Jul 19, 2019 hamilton s software prevented apollo 11 disaster margaret hamilton sits in a mockup of the apollo command module in november 1969. A critical player in the apollo 11 mission and the founder of software engineering in 2018, we have loads of resources for teaching. She worked on software development for apollo 11, the first spacecraft to complete a successful mission that placed humans on the moon in 1969. Its a good thing she prepared for emergency scenarios. Her code got humans on the moonand invented software itself. Margaret hamilton in 1969 with the source code her team developed for the apollo missions. Margaret hamilton, nee margaret heafield, born august 17, 1936, paoli, indiana, u. Before and during apollo, my colleagues, including those on the software engineering team, for which i was responsible, were mostly male. Nov 23, 2016 margaret hamilton, the woman behind the onboard flight software for nasa apollo lunar modules and command modules, was among the 21 recipients. Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer of the apollo project, stands next to a huge stack of code written by her and her team, in 1969.
Hamilton, a 24yearold with an undergrad degree in mathematics. Science history imagesalamy stock photo did your life as a software engineer and a mother. Matt porter and margaret hamilton detail how a woman and her team launched the software that took mankind to the moon. Margaret hamilton worked in computer science and software engineering for the apollo program and the mit instrumentation lab draper. Aug 17, 2016 a brief history of the famous 1969 margaret hamilton photo featuring the apollo software she and her team developed for nasa, sending humans to the moon. As director of apollo flight computer programming, margaret hamilton is the driving force behind the software of apollo. When nasa ordered the software from the mit and margaret learned about their agreement, she called the university to apply for the job. Apollo software engineer, margaret hamilton awarded. Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer for nasas apollo 11 mission there was no choice but to be pioneers. New york the intrepid museum in new york city kicked off a summer of apollo events on may 23 by honoring software engineer margaret hamilton with. It was her efforts on this project that made her a candidate for the position at nasa as the lead developer for apollo flight.
Margaret hamilton coding to the moon a computer of one. Margaret hamilton on her daughters simulation hack the moon. Because of what apollo software engineer don eyles has termed a. Hamilton spent long hours at mit s apollo project from nasa, leading the software engineering division responsible for the unmanned missions on.
Margaret hamilton takes software engineering to the moon and. Margaret heafield hamilton born august 17, 1936 is an american computer scientist, systems engineer and business owner. Margaret hamilton joined mit to work on software projects including meteorological software for edward lorenz, father of chaos theory, and sage system software that searched for enemy airplanes before landing on the mitnasa contract as the lead programmer on the apollo guidance computer. Apollos successful computing software was optimized to deal with unknown. Software pioneer margaret hamilton on apollo 11 christies. Margaret hamilton, apollo software engineer, named a fellow. Margaret hamilton, lead software engineer, project apollo medium this is a great photo i just ran across on the internets.
Intrepid museum honors apollo software engineer margaret hamilton. In the early days, according to hamilton, no one really knew what they were doing. It said it was margaret hamilton, apollo program, but it didnt say who margaret hamilton. Adele goldberg katherine johnson adele goldberg developed the blueprint for graphical user interfaces. Margaret hamiltons software got man to the moonbut she didnt stop there the july 20, 1969, moon landing was a big day for hamilton. Jul 17, 2019 meet margaret hamilton, the badass 60s programmer who saved the moon landing. New york the intrepid museum in new york city kicked off a summer of apollo events may 23 by honoring software engineer margaret hamilton with the institutions lifetime achievement award. She is a computer scientist, a systems engineer, and even a business owner. Vinata 2016 nasas female pioneers rocket women from history you should. Intrepid museum honors apollo software engineer margaret. On november 22, 2016, president obama awarded her the presidential medal of freedom, which is the united states highest civilian award.
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