Post by @AkaSci@fosstodon.org

Oh no!

"Margaret Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT during NASA’s Apollo program, died on Sep. 30. She was 90.

A computing pioneer who authored over 130 publications, Hamilton helped to establish software engineering as a dedicated discipline."

We all remember her from these iconic pictures.

https://news.mit.edu/2026/margaret-hamilton-computing-pioneer-dies-1007
https://news.mit.edu/2016/scene-at-mit-margaret-hamilton-apollo-code-0817
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Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton poses with the Apollo guidance software she and her team developed at MIT.
Credits:
Image: MIT News, with photos via MIT Museum — Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton poses with the Apollo guidance software she and her team developed at MIT. Credits: Image: MIT News, with photos via MIT Museum

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Scene at MIT: Margaret Hamilton’s Apollo code

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. Article includes rarely-seen outtakes of Hamilton and her code from the MIT Museum.

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Margaret Hamilton, computing pioneer who led software development for the Apollo program, dies at 90

Margaret H. Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT’s Instrumentation Lab during NASA’s Apollo program, died at age 90.

21 Boosts

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Gins

@gins@mastodon.gamedev.place 18 hr. ago

@AkaSci 😢

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 24 hr. ago

"Margaret Hamilton's life’s work was recognized with many awards and honors, including the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, whose citation noted: “Hamilton defined new forms of software engineering and helped launch an industry that would forever change human history. Her software architecture led to giant leaps for humankind, writing the code that helped America set foot on the moon.”"

https://news.mit.edu/2026/margaret-hamilton-computing-pioneer-dies-1007
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton_(software_engineer)
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Image of the top of the article
With pic of President Obama presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Margaret Hamilton during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 22, 2016.
Image: Lawrence Jackson for the White House — Image of the top of the article With pic of President Obama presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Margaret Hamilton during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 22, 2016. Image: Lawrence Jackson for the White House

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Margaret Hamilton, computing pioneer who led software development for the Apollo program, dies at 90

Margaret H. Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT’s Instrumentation Lab during NASA’s Apollo program, died at age 90.

Margaret Hamilton (software engineer)

American NASA scientist and mathematician

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 22 hr. ago

July 18, 2019 - Google created this tribute to Margaret Hamilton with 1.4-square-mile portrait of Margaret Hamilton created with 107,000 mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Facility in the Mojave Desert positioned to reflect the light of the moon, instead of the sun.

Amazing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7CnVGtd1_Y
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/margaret-hamilton-apollo-11-tribute/
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Google

Margaret Hamilton by Moonlight: Honoring an Apollo 11 Icon

As the 50th anniversary of the moon landing approaches, we honor Margaret Hamilton’s contribution with a portrait made of moonlight.

View

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 22 hr. ago

Margaret Hamilton obit at the NY Times.

Mentions the incident during the Apollo 11 landing when Buzz Aldrin flipped a switch, that caused a CPU overload. The software survived because Hamilton had anticipated and simulated such a scenario and had added logic to prioritize essential tasks over others.

Paul Curto, who nominated Hamilton for a NASA Space Act Award, called Hamilton's work "the foundation for ultra-reliable software design."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/obituaries/margaret-hamilton-dead.html
https://archive.ph/kD3F4
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https://www.nytimes.com

The Woman Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions Has Died

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 22 hr. ago

A few more pics of Margaret Hamilton.

https://science.nasa.gov/people/margaret-hamilton/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton_(software_engineer)
https://inahof.org/members/2023-class/margaret-hamilton/
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NASA Science

Margaret Hamilton

Computer Scientist - MIT

Margaret Hamilton (software engineer)

American NASA scientist and mathematician