The woman in the moon How Margaret Hamilton helped fly the first astronauts to the moon

Science-loving readers are invited to grow up with Margaret Hamilton, an engineer critical to getting a man on the moon, in this long-form biography built from the author's interviews with Hamilton and full of historical photographs that root the reader in Hamilton's life. From her early life as a math-loving student through college, family, and her journey towards space, Maurer's detailed approach to Hamilton's life will interest readers intrigued by underrepresented women in STEM. With a mixture of short background chapters (including one on Ada Lovelace) and longer explorations of Hamilton's life, there's a focus on Hamilton's humanity as well as the science that rocketed the astronauts skyward. The author walks--tenuously at times--the fine line of bringing midcentury scientific techniques, such as early computing, to modern audiences without boring them, confusing them, or going completely over their heads. This is a more advanced biography than the cover would lead you to anticipate; it is best compared to adult biographies adapted for young readers and nonfiction that bridges the gap between juvenile and young adult.

"After the moon landings... practically no one knew about the computer and software engineers who had played such a crucial role" writes Maurer (Destination Moon) in this corrective work--a biography of mathematician Margaret Hamilton (b. 1936), who led the team that coded automated functions into the "guidance and control system that would tell the astronauts where they were." Three sections span Hamilton's Michigan upbringing, schooling, and marriage; her being hired by MIT to help code the "revolutionary machine that would conduct astronauts to the Moon and back"; and her later involvement with the Apollo program and beyond. Throughout, the book outlines her pivotal role in naming and legitimizing the field of software engineering while opening the door for women in STEM fields. Occasional interstitials ("Katherine Johnson," "Ada, Countess of Lovelace") contextualize aspects of Hamilton's life, and photographs and pop culture references elaborate on the era for contemporary readers. Detailing the beginnings of software engineering, the ins and outs of the Apollo missions, and the social arc away from the "men only" establishment, this straightforward read credits a female pioneer whose work brought a concept to life. Ages 10--14. (Mar.)

Maurer shines a deserved spotlight on Margaret Hamilton, whose computer code for the Apollo program was integral to the success of the 1969 moonshot. Readers meet her as a child in Michiganâe(tm)s Upper Peninsula, where she was brought up to be âeoecurious, diligent, fearless, and a bit of a rebelâe; her path eventually led to her joining the Instrumentation Lab at MIT. It was there that Hamilton helped write the code for the onboard ­computer, the Apollo ­Guidance Computer, that would ­control the astronautsâe(tm) flight through space. ­Maurer draws on numerous ­personal interviews with Hamilton to reveal her character; she comes across as determined, brilliant, and confident yet self-effacing. Maurer mirrors her ­methodical ­competence, weaving into his account contextualizing information about early computer science and the technological innovations that made the Apollo program possible. He details the f­unctioning -- and malfunctioning -- of the AGC drive, the excitement of the test flights, and then Apollo 11 itself. Archival illustrations further enliven the narrative; a 1969 publicity photo of Hamilton steadying a tower of printed-out code is as effective now as it was then. A timeline, thorough source notes, an extensive bibliography, photo credits, and an index (unseen) round out this valuable addition to books about the space program. Vicky SmithMarch/April 2023 p.97 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An accessible biography of Margaret Hamilton, who had a leadership role in writing the software that would send astronauts to the moon--and bring them back. A prologue sets up President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the moon and MIT's Instrumentation Lab's role in developing the Apollo Guidance Computer; Margaret was the only woman in the room during a pivotal meeting between skeptical astronauts and the MIT team, who promised to achieve this goal within a few years. Hamilton's story, intertwined with the Apollo missions, is then set out in a linear fashion: childhood, adolescence, college, and marriage; her path to becoming a key player in writing the software for the AGC; and multiple Apollo missions and her career after the Apollo program ended. Hamilton's task was not just to write code, but to persuade the astronauts to trust the digital autopilot feature; she accomplished both and declared the moon landing a highlight of her life. Technical language and terms are explained simply, and captioned photographs and sidebar content are included generously throughout. These valuable elements--such as a photo of Hamilton in a command module simulator and information about Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson--make the book inviting and approachable. The book presents Hamilton as not having focused or dwelled on any gender-based discrimination she faced and does not look at how she was able to succeed despite it. An appealing biography of a quietly trailblazing engineer. (timeline, notes, references, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.