An American computer scientist who led the team that developed the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo program, work credited with popularizing the term "software engineering." Her software's error-handling design let Apollo 11's guidance computer prioritize critical tasks during a landing-sequence alarm, a decision widely credited with saving the mission.
Facts
Defining ContributionLed development of the Apollo Guidance Computer's onboard flight software 3 Notable WorkLed the team that developed the onboard flight software for the Apollo Guidance Computer 2 Connections
Associated With
Led development of the Apollo Guidance Computer's flight software.
Source A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo AstronautsAndrew Chaikin
Source NASA History Office
Sources
1. NASA History Office
2. Wikipedia: Margaret Hamilton (software engineer)
Margaret Hamilton, Wikipedia - infobox (born)
August 17, 1936
Lead section
Margaret Elaine Hamilton (née Heafield; born August 17, 1936) is an American computer scientist.
View the Source3. A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
Andrew Chaikin
Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationMargaret Hamilton, Wikipedia - Apollo 11 landing sectionQuote, Margaret Hamilton, Wikipedia - Apollo 11 landing section
The software's action, in this case, was to eliminate lower priority tasks and re-establish the more important ones
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