TED-Ed: How one woman put man on the moon - Matt Porter and Margaret Hamilton

In 1969, as Apollo 11 neared the moon, an emergency alarm threatened the mission. Margaret Hamilton, who led the software team, had designed the system to handle such crises. Her innovative asynchronous software prioritized critical tasks, allowing the mission to proceed safely. Hamilton's career began at MIT, where she worked on chaos theory and air defense systems before joining NASA. Her work on the Apollo Guidance Computer was groundbreaking, coining the term 'software engineering.' Her contributions ensured the success of Apollo 11 and left a lasting legacy in technology, earning her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

What was the main issue that triggered the emergency alarm during the Apollo 11 landing?

• A fuel shortage

• A communication failure

• An overloaded computer

• A hardware malfunction

What field did Margaret Hamilton study in college before joining MIT?

• Computer Science and Engineering

• Physics and Astronomy

• Biology and Chemistry

• Mathematics and Philosophy

What was the primary responsibility of the Apollo Guidance Computer?

• To monitor the astronauts' health

• To manage the spacecraft's fuel

• To guide, navigate, and control the spacecraft

• To communicate with Earth

How did Margaret Hamilton's software handle unexpected errors during the Apollo missions?

• By shutting down the system

• By prioritizing important tasks over less important ones

• By restarting the entire program

• By sending an alert to Earth

What recognition did Margaret Hamilton receive for her contributions to technology?

• The Nobel Prize in Physics

• The Fields Medal

• The Turing Award

• The Presidential Medal of Freedom