Margaret Hamilton, software engineer for Apollo 11, dies at 90
Margaret Hamilton, who led MIT’s Apollo software division and helped guide Apollo 11, has died at 90.
The New York Times, The Guardian and BBC
Key points
From BBC’s report- Margaret Hamilton led MIT's Software Engineering Division for Apollo missions.
- Her team wrote and tested on-board software guiding Apollo 11.
- She described as first programmer to join and first woman hired.
- NASA project faced a 1969 overload alert soon before landing, mitigated by priority software.
- Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Why it matters. Her team’s priority software managed an overload alert shortly before the 1969 Moon landing.
What to watch. Watch for further coverage of Hamilton’s Apollo legacy and 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Coverage
Oldest first · UTC“Margaret Hamilton, trailblazer whose software powered Apollo 11 moon landing, dies at 90”
Key points from The Guardian
- Margaret Hamilton, MIT computer pioneer, has died at age 90.
- She helped develop Apollo onboard flight software under a NASA contract.
- She was the first programmer to join and the first woman hired by MIT’s project.
- During Apollo 11, software aided recovery from a spacecraft alarm without aborting.
- Obama cited her role when presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
“Margaret Hamilton, whose software helped land Apollo 11 on the Moon, dies at 90”
Key points from BBC
- Margaret Hamilton led MIT's Software Engineering Division for Apollo missions.
- Her team wrote and tested on-board software guiding Apollo 11.
- She described as first programmer to join and first woman hired.
- NASA project faced a 1969 overload alert soon before landing, mitigated by priority software.
- Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Coverage
Oldest first · UTCSourceThe New York TimesUnited StatesLeanCenter-leftCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at The New York Times“Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died”
SourceThe GuardianUnited KingdomLeanCenter-leftCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at The Guardian“Margaret Hamilton, trailblazer whose software powered Apollo 11 moon landing, dies at 90”
Key points from The Guardian
- Margaret Hamilton, MIT computer pioneer, has died at age 90.
- She helped develop Apollo onboard flight software under a NASA contract.
- She was the first programmer to join and the first woman hired by MIT’s project.
- During Apollo 11, software aided recovery from a spacecraft alarm without aborting.
- Obama cited her role when presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
SourceBBCUnited KingdomLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at BBC“Margaret Hamilton, whose software helped land Apollo 11 on the Moon, dies at 90”
Key points from BBC
- Margaret Hamilton led MIT's Software Engineering Division for Apollo missions.
- Her team wrote and tested on-board software guiding Apollo 11.
- She described as first programmer to join and first woman hired.
- NASA project faced a 1969 overload alert soon before landing, mitigated by priority software.
- Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Why it’s in the Brief
Ranked 1st of 10.
- Starting score
- 5.0
- Public-interest topic
- +1.0
- Public-interest terms in the text
- +1.25
- High-reliability sources
- +0.75
- Corroboration by independent outlets
- +1.6
- Score
- 9.6
The ranking is the same for everyone.
Perspective mix. 2 center-left · 1 center.RatingsAllSides and Media Bias/Fact CheckLean and credibility are curated from their public ratings.Unknown outlets stay unrated, never guessed.
Blindspot. No right-leaning outlet is covering this story. 2 of 3 outlets are United Kingdom-based. Worth knowing before you make up your mind.