Hidden Tech History: The Women Coders Behind Apollo 11 Moon Landing

 

When Neil Armstrong said “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”, the world cheered. But few people know about the hidden heroes behind that leap—the women programmers and mathematicians at NASA.

Margaret Hamilton, along with Katherine Johnson and a team of women, created the code and calculations that guided Apollo 11 safely to the Moon. Without their precision, the spacecraft might have crashed.

Hamilton even invented the term “software engineering”. Her code saved Apollo 11 during a computer overload just minutes before landing.

This hidden tech history shows us: behind every giant leap, there are unsung geniuses who make it possible.