Margaret Hamilton, whose software sent humans to the moon, dies at 90

October 7, 2026 · 11:05 pm 9 sources

Image: The New York Times

Coverage

Wires & papers of record

• Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died
  The New York Times · October 7, 2026 23:05
  Margaret Hamilton, the first female programmer hired to work on the space project at M.I.T., was 90.
• Margaret Hamilton, trailblazer whose software powered Apollo 11 moon landing, dies at 90
  The Guardian · October 8, 2026 00:40
  MIT computer scientist led development of software for moon mission and earned Presidential Medal of Freedom Margaret Hamilton, the computer pioneer whose software powered the first moon landing, has died, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Wednesday. She was 90. In an…
• Margaret Hamilton, whose software helped land Apollo 11 on the moon, dies at 90
  BBC News · October 8, 2026 04:49
  Pioneering computer scientist led the development of the software for Nasa's Apollo mission and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• Moment Nasa scientist Margaret Hamilton receives presidential medal of honour
  BBC News · October 8, 2026 07:08
  Barack Obama awarded the Apollo 11 software engineer with the America's highest civilian honour in 2016.
• Before Computer Science Became a Boys’ Club, Margaret Hamilton Wrote the Code
  The New York Times · October 8, 2026 15:50
  The woman who helped put astronauts on the moon was a software engineer when the field was not prestigious or lucrative.
• Margaret Hamilton, whose software sent humans to the moon, dies at 90
  NPR · October 8, 2026 21:38
  Hamilton was in her early thirties when she led the team of software engineers that powered NASA's Apollo missions. She later said, "There was no choice but to be pioneers."

Coverage

• NASA Apollo program pioneer Margaret Hamilton dies
  Deutsche Welle · October 8, 2026 09:00
  US scientist Margaret Hamilton is being hailed as a pioneer for her groundbreaking work developing software for NASA's Apollo lunar program. She died at the age of 90.
• R.I.P. Margaret Hamilton, whose code saved the Apollo 11 Moon landing
  Ars Technica · October 8, 2026 20:15
  Hamilton also coined the term "software engineering" and founded two successful software companies.

More coverage

• Margaret Hamilton, scientist who worked on NASA's Apollo program, dead at 90
  Phys.org · October 8, 2026 08:37
  American scientist Margaret Hamilton, who led development of the computer system used by NASA's Apollo lunar program, has died at 90, her former employer said Wednesday.