August 29, 2025

Adrienne Ma

R.C. Palmer Secondary School

11th Grade

Margaret Hamilton is an American computer scientist who helped launch the Apollo 11 with her software engineering skills at NASA. In fact, she is actually known for coining the term “software engineering” through her significant contributions to the field. Her achievements have paved the way for future workers, especially women, in this field.

Margaret Hamilton was born in 1936 in Paoli, Indiana. She attended math and physics classes at the University of Michigan and Earlham College as one of the only women. She also minored in philosophy, influenced by her father’s career in the field. Her skills in mathematics, coupled with her curiosity in philosophy, contributed to her choice to pursue computer science. After graduating in 1958, she planned to pursue graduate studies but instead accepted a position at MIT developing weather prediction software for Professor Edward N. Lorenz. He would become an influential part of her career, both through his teachings on software systems and his encouragement to learn more about the topic. 

In 1961, MIT was contracted by NASA to create a project team for the development of Apollo 11’s on-board guidance system. Software engineering was not a well-known topic at the time, so the project team had to find solutions to their programming issues through trial and error. Similar to university, Margaret found herself one of the only women in this group. Despite this, she displayed leadership in the project and was eventually placed as Director of the Software Engineering Division of MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory. 

The meticulous programming of the software was essential to the success of the Apollo 11 mission. During travel, the CPU was overwhelmed by processing too much data from the spacecraft. Fortunately, the software’s error detection mechanism cleared the entire queue of processes and restarted the functions, allowing only the highest priority functions to perform until the landing was complete. This process in the software developed by Hamilton and her team was thought by many to have saved the Apollo 11 mission. Thanks to their work, three American astronauts landed safely on the moon on July 20, 1969.

For her efforts, Margaret Hamilton received the NASA Exceptional Space Act Award (2003) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by Barack Obama (2016). She has gone to accomplish more in the software engineering field. She developed Hamilton’s Universal Systems Language (USL), created using her experiences while working on the Apollo 11’s software. USL is still used by software engineers today. Margaret is also the founder and CEO of Hamilton Technologies, a company created in 1986 that supports efforts in software development. 

Through Margaret Hamilton’s work on Apollo 11, she has popularized and expanded the field of software engineering. With her experiences and dedication, she is a role model and path-paver for many future young women in STEM. 

Margaret Hamilton’s work not only guided astronauts safely to the Moon but also helped shape the foundations of modern software engineering. Her persistence, innovation, and leadership show that coding can save missions and lives while breaking barriers for women in science and technology. Today, her impacts continue to inspire new generations in STEM, reminding us that new ideas and problem-solving can take humanity farther than we ever imagined.