Pioneering computer scientist Margaret Hamilton has passed away at 90, leaving behind a legacy that helped change both space exploration and modern software forever.

At MIT, Hamilton led the team that created the onboard computer software used during the Apollo missions. That included the software inside the spacecraft that helped astronauts navigate, make decisions and safely reach the Moon.

During Apollo 11’s historic landing, the computer became overloaded just minutes before touchdown. Instead of crashing, Hamilton’s software recognized what was most important, ignored lower-priority tasks and kept the landing systems running.

That gave Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin the chance to continue toward the lunar surface.
Hamilton also helped turn software engineering into a respected engineering field and was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

That famous photo of her standing beside a giant stack of Apollo code says everything.
She never stepped on the Moon herself, but her work helped make that first step possible.