The Woman Who Helped Bring Apollo 13 Home
In the 1960s, when very few women were seen in engineering or at NASA, Judith Love Cohen stood out as one of the brightest minds in the room. She wasn’t just breaking barriers — she was building the very systems that would one day save lives in space.
Judith was part of the Apollo Program, the legendary NASA project that sent humans to the Moon. Her role was crucial: she worked on the Abort Guidance System, the backup computer system that could safely guide a spacecraft home if the main systems failed. No one imagined that her work would one day become a lifeline for astronauts in one of NASA’s greatest crises — Apollo 13.
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The Apollo 13 Crisis
In April 1970, Apollo 13 launched toward the Moon with astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise aboard. Two days into the mission, an oxygen tank exploded, crippling the spacecraft and cutting off much of its power. The crew’s lives hung in the balance.
As NASA scrambled for solutions on Earth, Judith Love Cohen was among the engineers who turned to the Abort Guidance System — her system — to help calculate a safe way home.
Working through the night, she pored over pages of complex equations, rechecking every number to make sure the astronauts could make it back alive. Her dedication and precision helped ensure the guidance system performed flawlessly when it was needed most.
Because of the work done by Judith and her team, Apollo 13’s crew was able to navigate back to Earth after one of the most dramatic rescues in space history.
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Working Through Labor
Judith’s incredible dedication didn’t stop at NASA’s control room. In fact, her most famous act of determination happened the same day Apollo 13’s crisis unfolded.
While still working on calculations for the mission, Judith went into labor. Rather than stop working, she took her technical documents with her to the hospital. Between contractions, she continued reviewing equations and finishing her assignments.
Only after completing her final calculations did she finally turn her full attention to giving birth — to her son, Jack Black, who would later become a world-famous actor and musician.
Jack has often spoken about his mother’s brilliance, calling her “the smartest and most tenacious person I’ve ever known.”
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Breaking Barriers for Women in Science
Long before she became part of the Apollo program, Judith Love Cohen faced constant reminders that she didn’t fit society’s idea of what an engineer should look like.
As a student in the 1950s, she was told that “engineering isn’t for girls.” But she ignored the doubters. She went on to earn her degree in electrical engineering, often being the only woman in her classes.
Her success at NASA helped pave the way for other women to follow in her footsteps. She proved that technical brilliance and determination have no gender.
After she retired, Judith didn’t stop inspiring others. She became an author and publisher, creating children’s books designed to encourage young girls to explore science, technology, engineering, and math — the fields now known collectively as STEM.
She wanted every girl who read her books to know exactly what she once had to learn on her own — that they belong in science too.
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A Legacy That Reaches the Stars
Judith Love Cohen’s life is a story of quiet heroism — the kind that doesn’t always make headlines, but changes history all the same.
She helped save astronauts hundreds of thousands of miles from home, proved that women could thrive in engineering, and raised a son who would carry her determination and creativity into his own career.
Her story reminds us that greatness doesn’t always come from the spotlight. Sometimes, it comes from the person behind the numbers, the one who stays late, checks again, and refuses to give up until it’s right.
Judith Love Cohen didn’t just help bring Apollo 13 back to Earth she helped bring generations of women closer to the stars.