The Woman in the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Helped Fly the First Astronauts to the Moon

A stunning and intimate biography of Margaret Hamilton, the computer engineer who helped Apollo 11 and mankind get from the Earth to the moon.

First-hand accounts, exclusive interviews with the legendary Margaret Hamilton, and detailed science populate the pages of this remarkable biography.

In 1969, mankind successfully left our atmosphere and landed on the moon. It took countless hours of calculations, training, wonder, and sacrifice from all of the men and women who worked hard to make that landing. One of those people was Margaret Hamilton.

A young computer engineer, Hamilton was hired to develop the completely new software used in the groundbreaking Apollo Space Program. Soon she became the lead engineer, one of the few women in the almost entirely male-dominated profession. But it wasn’t always easy.

In The Woman in the Moon, science-writer and journalist Richard Maurer (Destination Moon, 2019) dives deep into the backstory of this extraordinary woman. With first-hand interviews and access to primary sources, this striking biography perfectly captures the exciting atmosphere of the Space Race and the inspiring figure of Margaret Hamilton.

Richard Maurer is a freelance science writer, exhibit developer, and children’s book author. His book Destination Moonwas named a 2019 Editor’s Choice Best Book of the Year by Booklist. In a starred review, Kirkus reviews called it, ＂Inspiring, fascinating, and, like the millions of parts that had to function for the space program to succeed, practically perfect.＂ Maurer is from Texas and currently resides in Massachusetts.