NASA’s first software engineer: Margaret Hamilton - Matt Porter and Margaret Hamilton
388,090 Views
18,762 Questions Answered
Let’s Begin…
The Apollo 11 moon landing was about the astronauts, mission control, software and hardware all working together as a seamless integrated system. None of which would have been possible without the contributions of one engineer: Margaret Hamilton. Who was this pioneer? Matt Porter and Margaret Hamilton detail how a woman and her team launched the software that took mankind to the Moon.
Margaret’s asynchronous software allowed the Apollo Guidance Computer to be adaptable enough to help land a man on the Moon, what are some of the situations the computer may have needed to adapt to on a trip to the Moon?
Sign in to answer questionAbout TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Matt Porter
- Director Franco Barroeta Fonseca
- Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Storyboard Artist José Ali Sánchez
- Animator José Ali Sánchez, Vidal Barrera, Santiago Carreto, César García, Irma Arellano, Ricardo González, Daniela Leal
- Compositor Julián André, Blas Cernicchiaro
- Art Director Carolina Porrero , José Ali Sánchez
- Sound Designer Julián André
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
- Script Editor Iseult Gillespie
- Fact-Checker Eden Girma
- Collaborator Susan Norton