There seemed to be no more fitting a way to celebrate a software engineering icon on the anniversary of her contribution to the moon landing, one of the greatest technical achievements of humankind, then to create a tribute to her with actual moonlight.

To solve for physical constraints--like the radial grid of the mirrors, the unpredictability of light refracting at such great distances, and the presence of mirrors damaged by sandstorms-- we developed custom software to render images on the solar array’s circular grid in order to test their legibility.

Our final design was reminiscent of a NASA mission patch, combining elements that made Margaret's accomplishment possible. We hope this tribute can not only spread the knowledge of what she accomplished, but also remind us what is possible when grit and determination meet a crazy idea, like sending the first human beings to the moon.