Margaret Hamilton, di computer scientist wey lead di software engineering team for MIT Instrumentation Lab during Nasa Apollo program, don die on September 30. She be 90 years old.
MIT confirm her death. For one statement, MIT talk say to call Hamilton pioneer, or say she ahead of her time, na serious understatement. Dem talk say she be software engineer when di field still dey small, and she no just write advanced code herself, she also lead team wey use di new technology build one of di most complex systems humanity ever achieve.
Hamilton work at MIT from 1959 reach mid-1970s. She manage di Software Engineering Division. For dat division, she lead team of engineers wey write and test all onboard in-flight software for Nasa Apollo 11 project. Dat software guide US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to land safely on di Moon.
She tell di Guardian for 2019 say wetin attract her na di sheer idea and di fact say nobody never do am before. She talk say she be di first programmer to join and di first woman wey dem hire.
For 1969, some moments before di historic Apollo 11 Moon landing, one onboard computer raise alarm. Di alarm signal say error dey happen. Di error show say computer overloaded, and for one moment e look like di complex landing fit no happen. But Hamilton and her team don plan for dat kind error. MIT talk say dem engineer priority-driven software wey go shut down background tasks and favour di most important one, na di Moon landing.
Di team software engineering become famous through one 1969 photo of Hamilton standing beside stack of printed code wey tower beside her.
For 2016, Barack Obama honour Hamilton life work with Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to science and space travel. Obama talk at di time say Hamilton symbolise dat generation of unsung women wey help send humankind into space.
Hamilton born for Indiana for 1936. She first study mathematics for University of Michigan for 1955 before she move to Earlham College, where she get BA in mathematics for 1958. She come move to Boston, Massachusetts, one year later with her husband. She originally take di job at MIT to support her husband during him law degree.
From 1970s onwards, Hamilton use her expertise found her own software businesses, including Hamilton Technologies, wey still base for Massachusetts. Earlham College talk for statement on social media say dem sad by her death, but grateful say dem celebrate her extraordinary achievements throughout her long life. Di statement talk say her pioneering spirit and remarkable legacy go continue inspire generations of Earlhamites.
MIT talk say Hamilton survive by her daughter, son-in-law, two grandsons and four great-grandchildren. For anoda MIT statement, Olivier de Weck, di Apollo Program Professor and interim head of MIT Department Aeronautics and Astronautics, talk say Hamilton pioneer and ahead of her time. He talk say she be fundamental contributor to Apollo program success, and she later become entrepreneur wey remain on cutting edge of systems software, while she act as advocate, mentor and inspiration to millions.
Hamilton begin her programming journey for MIT meteorology department, where she work with professor Edward N. Lorenz on weather prediction software. Na her first entry into computer programming, and her work go inform Lorenz future publications on chaos theory. From there, she take role as programmer at MIT Lincoln Laboratory for 1961, working on Semi-Automatic Ground Environment project, di United States first air defense system. She write software for prototype AN/FSQ-7 computer, XD-1, wey U.S. Air Force use to search for potentially unfriendly aircraft. During dis time, she begin take interest in software reliability, a new concept den.
For 1965, Hamilton dey prepare for graduate studies when her husband see advert for newspaper: di Instrumentation Lab at MIT dey find people to develop software to send man to di moon. Di lab don win contract from NASA to build onboard flight software for Apollo program. Hamilton apply and dem hire her as first programmer for Apollo project at MIT, and first female programmer for di project. She first work on software for uncrewed Apollo missions, later dem promote her to lead team wey develop onboard flight software for crewed missions. By 1968 she be assistant director in charge of Command and Service Module team, and more than 400 people dey work on Apollo software.
Hamilton talk MIT News for 2009 say from her own perspective, di software experience itself, designing, developing, evolving, watching am perform and learning from am for future systems, excite reach like di events around di mission. She talk say there was no second chance, dem know am. Dem take work serious, many begin di journey while still for dia 20s. She talk say solutions and new ideas na adventure. Dedication and commitment na given. Mutual respect across board. Because software na mystery, black box, upper management give dem total freedom and trust. Dem had to find way, and dem do. She talk say looking back, dem be luckiest people for world; there was no choice but to be pioneers.
Hamilton discover talent for leadership, and sharp instinct for problem-solving and critical thinking wey save Project Apollo several times. One incident become known as the Lauren error. One day, her daughter Lauren, then four years old, dey play with command module simulator at Instrumentation Lab when she somehow activate pre-launch program, P01, while simulator dey midflight, and e crash di simulator finish. Hamilton create program add-on for technical documentation warning users make dem no launch P01 during flight. She also propose software fix to stop di error during real mission, but dem overrule her because dem believe highly trained astronauts no go make that same mistake. Yet during Apollo 8 mission for 1968, na exactly wetin happen: Jim Lovell inadvertently launch P01 during flight, cause on-flight navigational data vanish. Hamilton and her team dem call in to solve di error, and after that dem integrate her proposed changes into program. Dis na early example of defensive programming, practice of building software wey fit anticipate or fix errors on im own.
Hamilton most famous contribution to Apollo program come during pivotal Apollo 11 mission to land on moon for July 1969. Moments before Eagle module set to land on lunar surface, onboard computer raise alarm. E detect 1202 error: computer overloaded due to fault in hardware switch, and e possible say system no go handle complex landing procedure. But Hamilton and her team don engineer priority-driven software wey fit shut down unnecessary background tasks to prioritize mission-critical tasks. Houston trust Hamilton software and allow mission to proceed, and two men walk on moon for first time.
Hamilton continue work at Instrumentation Lab into 1970s. As Apollo program wind down, Instrumentation Lab spin out of MIT to become independent Draper Laboratory. Jerry M. Wohletz, president and CEO at Draper, talk say Margaret leave indelible mark on Draper and dem go forever grateful. He talk say through her leadership and contributions to development of onboard flight software for NASA Apollo Guidance Computer, she help ensure Apollo astronauts land safely on lunar surface and safely return home. He talk say dem go honor her legacy at Draper forever.
Hamilton go on create her first software company, Higher Order Software, for 1976. Di firm base on Hamilton software engineering approach of error prevention and fault tolerance. A decade later, she found anoda software company, Hamilton Technologies, to provide products and services to modernize planning, system engineering and software development process to maximize reliability, lower cost and accelerate time to market. Hamilton Technologies flagship product na Universal Systems Language, a systems modeling language and methodology for engineering complex software systems wey prioritize error prevention and defensive programming.
Throughout her career, Hamilton work to achieve recognition for software engineering as dedicated discipline. She tell El Pais for 2018 say she fight to bring software legitimacy so dat dem and those building am go get due respect, and so she begin use term software engineering to distinguish am from hardware and other kinds of engineering, yet treat each type as part of overall systems engineering process. She talk say when she first start use dis phrase, people consider am quite amusing. E be ongoing joke for long time. Dem like to kid her about her radical ideas. Software eventually and necessarily gain same respect as any other discipline.
Among her many awards and honors, Hamilton receive NASA Exceptional Space Act Award for scientific and technical contributions for 2003; Computer History Museum Fellow Award for 2017; Intrepid Lifetime Achievement Award for 2019; and induction into National Aviation Hall of Fame for 2022. Later for life, Hamilton become icon for women in science and technology, especially after one now-famous photo wey show her next to printout of her MIT team Apollo code begin circulate online. For 2015, di Apollo software she help develop dem add am in entirety to code-sharing site GitHub. And for 2017, she become official Lego Minifigure after set originally designed by MIT science communicator Maia Weinstock, honoring her and several other women of NASA history, become available worldwide.
Olivier de Weck talk say Margaret Hamilton don be inspiration to generations of computer scientists and engineers. He talk say her career dedicate to preventing errors and wetin she call handling the unknown. He talk say she personify leadership by example, and establish practice of software engineering based on problem-solving and systems engineering wey everybody benefit from.
Hamilton survive by her daughter, Lauren Hamilton; her son-in-law, Richard Selesnick; two grandsons; four great grandchildren; and her siblings John, David, and Kathryn. Memorial service go take place for spring for Cambridge, Massachusetts.
