Forty-seven years ago, humans first set foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. That success would not have been possible if not for the team of 400,000 people who worked to ensure the success of the mission and the safety of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

One of those 400,000 people was Margaret Hamilton.

On Nov. 22, President Barack Obama awarded Hamilton the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution that led to Apollo 11's successful landing.

The very first contract NASA issued for the Apollo program (in August 1961) was with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop the guidance and navigation system for the Apollo spacecraft.

Hamilton, a computer programmer, would wind up leading the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory (now Draper Labs).

Computer science, as we now know it, was just coming into existence at the time.

Hamilton led the team that developed the building blocks of software engineering – a term that she coined herself.

Her systems approach to the Apollo software development and insistence on rigorous testing was critical to the success of Apollo.

As she noted, “There was no second chance. We all knew that.”

Her approach proved itself on July 20, 1969, when minutes before Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon, the software overrode a command to switch the flight computer’s priority system to a radar system.

The override was announced by a “1202 alarm” which let everyone know that the guidance computer was shedding less important tasks (like rendezvous radar) to focus on steering the descent engine and providing landing information to the crew.

Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon, rather than aborting the approach due to computer problems. In fact, the Apollo guidance software was so robust that no software bugs were found on any crewed Apollo missions, and it was adapted for use in Skylab, the Space Shuttle, and the first digital fly-by-wire systems in aircraft.

Hamilton was honored by NASA in 2003, when she was presented a special award recognizing the value of her innovations in the Apollo software development. The award included the largest financial award that NASA had ever presented to any individual up to that point.

This week, Hamilton was honored again – this time at the White House. President Obama selected her as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The highest civilian award of the United States, it is awarded to those who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Watch the ceremony below. Hamilton's presentation is at the 41:20 mark in the video.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The name of a man who died in an apartment fire in Clearlake earlier this month has been released by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Lt. Steve Brooks said the fire victim was Conrad Albert Garcia, 75, of Clearlake.

The fire that took Garcia's life occurred early on the morning of Nov. 4 in a 13-unit, three-story apartment building at 3891 Country Club Drive, as Lake County News has reported.

Brooks said he was not aware of investigators having reached a conclusion about the fire's cause, and the Lake County Fire Protection District official in charge of the investigation was not available when the district was contacted by Lake County News this week.

Fire Chief Willie Sapeta told Lake County News earlier this month that the fire was not suspicious in nature – it appeared to be unintentional – and so there were no criminal components to the incident.

Due to the damage to the building, the city of Clearlake red-tagged it, which resulted in the remaining residents being unable to return until repairs are completed.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported that a new effort is under way to generate information about a woman who went missing two years ago.

A $10,000 reward has been offered by the estate of Annie Bailly for information leading to her whereabouts and discovery, according to Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Spencer Crum.

Bailly was 63 when she left her Penngrove home on Davis Lane on Dec. 5, 2014, Crum said.

Crum said she was reported missing by her husband, who had been out of town for several days prior to her disappearance. Annie's vehicle and personal property were left at the residence.

Sonoma County Sheriff's detectives have actively worked this case for the last two years but have come up with no leads, Crum said.

Anyone with any information about Annie Bailly's disappearance is encouraged to contact Sonoma County Sheriff's Investigations at 707-565-2185.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Golden State Water Co. is set to begin installing a new water pipeline in the city of Clearlake.

The company said the installation will begin on Dec. 5 and is expected to be completed by Feb. 20, weather-permitting. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The new pipeline will be installed in Country Club Drive from Lakeshore Drive to Arrowhead. In addition new pipeline will also be installed on Kings Street from Country Club to Lakeshore Drive and new water services will be installed to existing meter boxes as required.   

The project includes installing approximately 1,600 feet of 8-inch pipe and will include connecting the new pipe to all the existing pipelines just outside of the intersections, as well as the installation of new fire hydrants and water services.

The company said construction crews with backhoes, dump trucks, crew trucks and hand tools will be digging along the new pipeline alignment.

The streets will remain open – with detours as required – to local traffic during the construction period but traffic and parking may be restricted and access to driveways may be limited for short durations of time, the company said.

The construction crews will make every effort to keep dust to a minimum, but the company asks community members to expect an increased level of noise during the construction period. Weekly activities such as trash pick up will not be interrupted. 

Community members who have additional questions or concerns about the project can call the Golden State Water Company Customer Service Center at 800-999-4033.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Community meetings are planned in December to discuss abandoned mines in the region.

The Westside Sacramento Integrated Regional Water Management Plan has kicked off a “brownfields” project that will engage communities in the Cache and Putah Creek watersheds about abandoned mining sites.

As part of that project, the Westside Sacramento Integrated Regional Water Management Plan is working on an area-wide assessment of abandoned mines in the two watersheds.

The group will host two upcoming meetings to give landowners information on how to get involved in the assessment.

The meetings will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Middletown Lions Club, 15399 Central Park Road; and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Calistoga Community Center, 1307 Washington St.

Discussion topics at the meetings will include the location of abandoned mine lands, how to get involved and potentially receive cleanup funding, and what property owners can do to get their land assessed.

Officials said this program is completely voluntary and there is no risk of enforcement.

For more information visit http://www.westsideirwmbrownfields.org/ .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Rotary Club will hold its 25th annual fundraiser, “Small Town, Big Heart,” on Saturday, Jan. 28.

The dinner, silent and live auction, and wine raffle event will take place at the Twin Pine Event Center in Middletown. 

Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5 p.m., and a prime rib dinner starts at 6 p.m. with a no-host bar.

Individual tickets are $60 per person.

The club is soliciting donations and sponsorships for the popular event, which draws large crowds and  usually is sold out. All contributions are acknowledged publicly.

If a donation cannot be mailed, club members will arrange a pick up. Business/corporate sponsorships are available also.

Rotary is a volunteer organization, so all fundraiser proceeds go to projects and programs.

Since the club’s charter in 1985, it has supported various local community needs and some international Rotary projects.

Contact Kathey Crothers at 707-355-0393, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about how to participate. Table and individual tickets also are available.

The Middletown Rotary Club meets every Friday at 7:15 a.m. at the Greenview Room in Hidden Valley Lake.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Middletown, contact Club president Ron Roberts, 707-987-9824.