Source Details

{
    "source_type": "extension",
    "content_hash": "3fcc0969483a891a52f226f4c00b48907021ef1e51ae4e2df3a11194340cf952",
    "submitted_via": "chrome_extension",
    "extension_version": "1.0.18",
    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/10\/07\/obituaries\/margaret-hamilton-dead.html?emc=edit_na_20261007&nl=breaking-news&segment_id=227700",
    "parsed_content": "Margaret Hamilton with printed computer code in 1969.Credit...NASA\/AlamySkip to contentSkip to site indexSearch & Section NavigationSection NavigationAccountAccountGoHome U.S.SECTIONSU.S.PoliticsNew YorkCaliforniaEducationHealthObituariesScienceClimateWeatherSportsBusinessTechThe UpshotThe MagazineTOP STORIESDonald TrumpSupreme CourtCongressImmigrationAbortionLatest PollsNEWSLETTERSThe MorningMake sense of the day\u2019s news and ideas.The EveningCatch up on big news, and wind down to end your day.See all newslettersPODCASTSThe DailyThe biggest stories of our time, in 20 minutes a day.See all podcastsWorldSECTIONSWorldAfricaAmericasAsiaAustraliaCanadaEuropeMiddle EastScienceClimateWeatherHealthObituariesTOP STORIESMiddle East CrisisRussia-Ukraine WarChina International RelationsThe Global ProfileLeer en Espa\u00f1olNEWSLETTERSThe WorldA guide to understanding the news, made for readers around the globe.Your Places: Global UpdateThe latest news for any part of the world you select.Canada LetterBackstories and analysis from our Canadian correspondents.See all newslettersBusinessSECTIONSBusinessTechEconomyMediaFinance and MarketsDealBookPersonal TechEnergy TransitionYour MoneyTOP STORIESU.S. EconomyStock MarketArtificial IntelligenceNEWSLETTERSDealBookThe most crucial business and policy news you need to know.On TechOur best tech reporting from the week.See all newslettersPODCASTSHard ForkOur tech journalists help you make sense of the rapidly changing tech world.See all podcastsArtsSECTIONSToday's ArtsBook ReviewBest SellersDanceMoviesMusicTelevisionTheaterPop CultureT MagazineVisual ArtsRECOMMENDATIONS100 Best Movies of the 21st CenturyCritic\u2019s PicksWhat to ReadWhat to WatchWhat to Listen To5 Minutes to Make You Love MusicNEWSLETTERSBooksReviews, news and features to help you find your next read.WatchingStreaming TV and movie recommendations.See all newslettersPODCASTSBook ReviewThe podcast that takes you inside the literary world.PopcastPop music news, new songs and albums, and artists of note.See all podcastsLifestyleSECTIONSAll LifestyleWellTravelStyleReal EstateFoodLoveYour MoneyPersonal TechT MagazineCOLUMNS36 HoursAsk WellThe HuntModern LoveWhere to EatVowsSocial Q\u2019sThe EthicistAsk the TherapistNEWSLETTERSThe WeekenderUnwind with stories about culture and the way we live.WellEssential news and guidance to live your healthiest life.See all newslettersPODCASTSModern LoveThe complicated love lives of real people.See all podcastsOpinionSECTIONSOpinionGuest EssaysEditorialsOp-DocsVideosLettersTOPICSPoliticsWorldBusinessTechClimateHealthCultureCOLUMNISTSJamelle BouieMaureen DowdDavid FrenchThomas L. FriedmanM. GessenMichelle GoldbergEzra KleinNicholas KristofCarlos LozadaTressie McMillan CottomLydia PolgreenBret StephensPODCASTSInteresting TimesMapping the new world order through interviews and conversations.The OpinionsYou've heard the news, here's what to make of it.The Ezra Klein ShowDiscussions of ideas that matter, plus book recommendations.See all podcastsVideoPlaylistsToday's VideosU.S.PoliticsImmigrationNY RegionScienceBusinessCultureBooksWellnessWorldAfricaAmericasAsiaSouth AsiaDonald TrumpMiddle East CrisisRussia-Ukraine CrisisVisual InvestigationsOpinion VideoSee all videosShowsExploreThe HeadlinesThe DailyHard ForkThe Ezra Klein ShowThe OpinionsSerial ProductionsThe Book Review PodcastModern LovePopcastCannonballThe InterviewThe Wirecutter ShowPablo Torre Finds OutSee all showsFeaturedThe Interview Conversations with the world\u2019s most fascinating people.The HeadlinesYour morning listen. Top stories, in 10 minutes.The Last 12 WeeksA five-part series \u2026 on a deadline.NewslettersShowsYour guide to the best New York Times shows this week.SerialBe the first to know about our new shows.See all newslettersGamesWord games, logic puzzles and crosswords, including an extensive archive. Go to GamesPlayCrossplay NEWWordle Spelling Bee The Crossword The Midi Crossword NEWThe Mini Crossword Connections Strands Pips Sudoku Tiles Letter Boxed CommunitySpelling Bee ForumWordplay ColumnWordle ReviewSubmit a CrosswordMeet Our Crossword ConstructorsMini to MaestroWordlebotTake the Puzzle Personality QuizNewslettersGameplayPuzzles, brain teasers, solving tips and more.Easy ModeGet an easy version of one of the hardest crossword puzzles of the week.See all newslettersCookingRecipes, advice and inspiration for everyday cooking, special occasions and more. Go to CookingRecipesEasyDinnerQuickHealthyBreakfastVegetarianVeganChickenPastaDessertEditors' PicksEasy Salmon RecipesSoup and Stew RecipesEasy WeeknightNewest RecipesCheap and Easy Dinner IdeasSlow Cooker RecipesHealthy Breakfast IdeasNewslettersThe Cooking NewsletterNew recipes, easy dinner ideas and smart kitchen tips from Melissa Clark, Sam Sifton and our New York Times Cooking editors.The VeggieDelicious vegetarian recipes and tips from Tanya Sichynsky.Five Weeknight DishesDinner ideas for busy people from Emily Weinstein.See all newslettersWirecutterReviews and recommendations for thousands of products. Go to WirecutterReviewsKitchenTechSleepAppliancesHome and GardenMovingTravelGiftsDealsBaby and KidHealth and FitnessThe Best...Air PurifierElectric ToothbrushPressure WasherCordless Stick VacuumOffice ChairRobot VacuumNewslettersThe RecommendationThe best independent reviews, expert advice and intensively researched deals.Clean EverythingStep-by-step advice on how to keep everything in your home squeaky clean.See all newslettersThe AthleticPersonalized coverage of your sports teams and leagues. Go to The AthleticLEAGUESN.F.L.N.B.A.N.H.L.Premier LeagueM.L.B.College FootballN.C.A.A. Men\u2019sN.C.A.A. Women\u2019sTennisF1Fantasy & BettingW.N.B.A.TOP STORIESToday's HeadlinesN.F.L. Win ProjectionsNEWSLETTERSThe PulseDelivering the top stories in sports, Sunday to Friday.See all newslettersPLAYConnections: Sports Edition Connections: Soccer Edition Connections Coach U.S.InternationalCanadaEspa\u00f1ol\u4e2d\u6587The Woman Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions Has DiedMargaret Hamilton, the first female programmer hired to work on the space project at M.I.T., was 90.Margaret Hamilton with printed computer code in 1969.Credit...NASA\/AlamySupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTListen \u00b7 9:06 min Share full articleBy Trip GabrielOct. 7, 2026Updated 7:51 p.m. ETMargaret Hamilton, who led the 100-person team that wrote the onboard software for the Apollo missions, guiding Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to a safe landing on the moon, died Sept. 30 in Cambridge, Mass. She was 90.Her death, in a hospital, was confirmed by her daughter, Lauren.Ms. Hamilton was a young mathematician at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the early 1960s, putting her husband through law school by working in a computer lab. When she learned that M.I.T. was designing in-flight computers for the moon mission, she eagerly joined the team.She was the first female programmer hired to work on the Apollo project, housed at M.I.T.\u2019s Instrumentation Laboratory, in 1965. Her skills led to her promotion to director of software engineering on the project, which developed the two 70-pound onboard computers for the Apollo flights: one in the command module, which carried the astronauts from Earth, and the second in the lunar module, which set down on the moon\u2019s surface.Ms. Hamilton, who would bring her young daughter to work on weekends and evenings, is credited with popularizing the term \u201csoftware engineering\u201d to describe the complexity of the work her team did, thus elevating software coding to a status equal to hardware design.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTA 1969 photograph of the 5-foot-4 Ms. Hamilton standing beside a head-high stack of printed code developed for the moon landing has been widely shared on social media in recent years.Primary navigation for the Apollo flights was guided from Houston on mainframe IBM computers. But the onboard Apollo Guidance Computer that the M.I.T. lab created was a crucial cog.Developing its software was a major lift in an era when computers had limited memory. The onboard computers contained only 72 kilobytes of storage memory (an iPhone 16, by comparison, can have more than seven million times as much storage).As Apollo 11\u2019s lunar module, Eagle, touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969, Ms. Hamilton, then 32, was patched into Mission Control in Houston from M.I.T.ImageMs. Hamilton directed the software engineering for the onboard computer of the Apollo 11\u2019s lunar module, seen here, with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin Jr. stepping onto the moon\u2019s surface. Credit...Neil Armstrong\/NASA, via Associated Press\u201cI was not concentrating on the mission per se, I was concentrating on the software,\u201d she recalled in a 2017 interview for the Computer History Museum. She compared the moment before touchdown to the instant before death when a person\u2019s life is said to flash before them. \u201cI could see the Apollo life, just: \u2018Look what happened. We did it. It worked,\u2019\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt was exciting.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTBut it almost didn\u2019t happen. As Eagle neared the moon, its onboard computer famously flashed alarms, and Mission Control was faced with a decision about whether to abort the landing.One of the astronauts, according to some historians, flipped a switch that overloaded the computer\u2019s processing unit, which set off the alarms. Ms. Hamilton had foreseen just such an event. Her software told the onboard computer to prioritize essential tasks and cancel less important ones. The alarm was the signal that the procedure had occurred. Houston chose to continue the mission, and Eagle\u2019s computer guided it to a safe landing on the Sea of Tranquillity.\u201cIf the computer hadn\u2019t recognized this problem and taken recovery action, I doubt if Apollo 11 would have been the successful moon landing it was,\u201d Ms. Hamilton wrote in a 1971 letter to a computer magazine, Datamation.Ms. Hamilton worked on the six lunar landing missions from 1969 to 1972. Her programming also contributed to Skylab, America\u2019s first space station, launched in 1973, and to the early design of the space shuttle. She left M.I.T. to found a company, Higher Order Software, in 1976, as well as a second firm a decade later, Hamilton Technologies.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Ms. Hamilton the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Its citation reads that her work for NASA \u201cset the foundation for modern, ultrareliable software design and engineering.\u201dIn 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Google trained more than 100,000 mirrors at its Ivanpah solar power farm in the Mojave Desert to create a nighttime portrait in reflected moonlight of Ms. Hamilton, bigger than Central Park.ImageIn 2016, President Barack Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ms. Hamilton in the East Room of the White House. Credit...Saul Loeb\/Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty ImagesMargaret Elaine Heafield was born on Aug. 17, 1936, in Paoli, Ind., the oldest of four children of Kenneth and Esther (Partington) Heafield. The family moved to Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula. Her mother was a high school teacher, and her father was a poet and a college professor of English and philosophy.Margaret enrolled in the University of Michigan before transferring to Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., where she received a bachelor\u2019s degree in mathematics in 1958.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe same year, she married James Hamilton, also an Earlham student. The couple moved to Cambridge, Mass., where their plan was for Ms. Hamilton to support her husband in law school and then to have him pay the bills while she earned a doctorate in math and became a professor.Instead, her computer work led her in a starkly different direction.Her first job at M.I.T., in 1959, was in the meteorology department for Edward Norton Lorenz, the founder of modern chaos theory, for whom she helped develop software to predict weather.In 1961 she moved to an M.I.T. team working for the Air Force on a system known as SAGE to track enemy aircraft. She was assigned a puzzle given to all new programmers: to decipher a program no one could get to work, whose author had left notes in Latin and Greek. Ms. Hamilton was the first person to get the program to run.Based on her work on SAGE, she was hired for the M.I.T. Apollo computer project, led by a professor of aeronautical engineering, Charles Stark Draper, who had won the NASA contract for the navigation and guidance system for the moon flight, announced by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.Ms. Hamilton was initially the only woman on the programming team, she recalled at a 2021 conference about the history of the Apollo computers.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTImageMs. Hamilton in a mock-up of the Apollo command module displayed at M.I.T., in 1969.Credit...Associated PressShe became known as the \u201crope mother,\u201d because of the unusual way code was stored on the in-flight computers, in an era before the wide use of silicon chips.Programs were written in binary arithmetic, a series of 1s and 0s. The digits were stored using copper wires woven around tiny doughnut-shaped material called cores. A wire passing through a core was read as a 1 and a wire that bypassed a core was a 0. The long assemblages of cores and threaded wire were called ropes.The ropes were woven by women capable of fine hand work, many of whom had worked in New England textile mills. Ms. Hamilton, who was responsible for getting everything right, was the \u201crope mother.\u201d (A 1965 film shows how the M.I.T.-designed computers were built at Raytheon\u2019s space division plant in Waltham, Mass.).Her first marriage ended in divorce in 1967. Two years later, she married Daniel Lickly (pronounced \u201clikely\u201d), a supervisor on the M.I.T. Apollo project, who was responsible for hiring her. They divorced in the early 1970s.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTFrom the late \u201970s, Ms. Hamilton was the partner of Ron Hackler, a musician she met when he helped move her office and then trained in systems engineering and was employed at her company Hamilton Technologies, which developed software. He died in 2025.Besides her daughter, Lauren, Ms. Hamilton is survived by two grandsons, four great-grandchildren and her siblings John, David and Kathryn Heafield (pronounced \u201chayfield\u201d).Like most of the legions of engineers, mathematicians and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the moon landings happen, Ms. Hamilton is little known to the public.But in 2017, she achieved a kind of pop culture eminence with the introduction of Lego Margaret Hamilton, a play figure that was part of a Women of NASA set. She is represented as longhaired and bespectacled, standing beside a teetering stack of computer code.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT"
}