Why "Powerpuff Girls" is Not an Insult

Sugar, spice, and every thing nice may be what the Powerpuff Girls are made of, but they're also full of strength, smarts, and bravery. A recent article by The Guardian titled "A Batman v Joker Movie Could Make Marvel's Avengers Look Like the Powerpuff Girls" attempts to explain why the writer thinks a Batman vs Joker movie (as though several of these do not already exist) could do very well in the box office. Strangely enough, the article doesn't even bother to explain the title, leaving us to assume it is a poor, sexist attempt to degrade the Marvel's heroes by comparing them to the Powerpuff Girls.

The implication, of course, is that the writer believes that because the Powerpuff Girls are "little girls" they are weak, inferior, and not heroic. This writer could not be more wrong. These little superheroes, who routinely save the world before bedtime, have super powers to match or rival any of the superheroes from Marvel or DC, including flight, super-strength, super-speed, and laser vision. They also each have their own unique, individual powers. Blossom has ice-breath, while Bubbles can speak and understand any language (including all animal languages), and Buttercup...can curl her tongue. And is tough as nails.

Things do not end well for those who underestimate the Powerpuff Girls. When Major Man, who the citizens of Townsville call "a real hero" due to his age, gender, and costume, arrives in town in Major Competition (S1:E7), the girls quickly reveal that he is a fraud who is only able to save the day is because sets up his own disasters so that he can play the hero.

In Stuck Up, Up and Away (S2:E1) the new girl in town, Princess Morbucks, announces she's going to be a Powerpuff Girl, saying her daddy always buys her whatever she wants. When Buttercup tells her you can't just buy superpowers, she responds with "Oh yeah? Tell that to Batman." 

Princess isn't used to being told no, so she buys gear reminiscent of the caped crusader (a jet pack, throwing stars, a grapple hook) and follows the girls into danger. They, of course, end up having to save her, in return for which Princess goes out and buys bigger better gadgets in an attempt to defeat the Powerpuff Girls, which, of course, ends with her defeat and arrest.

The girls aren't treated much better by their superhero idols either. When the girls want to join the Association of World Super Men in Members Only (S4:E9), its members mock them for being "little girls." These members include many Marvel and DC-esque superheroes such as Major Glory (Captain America meets Superman), Valhallen (Thor meets He-man), Mandingo (Black Panther), Ya-Mon (Namor meets Aquaman), E-Male (the Flash), Big Ben (Captain Britain), Mucho Muchacho (Zorro), Tiki Torch (the Human Torch), and Ratman (Batman), who the Powerpuff Girls best in feats of strength, speed, and heroism before saving the men from an attacking alien robot. 

"Excuse me, am I just supposed to keep up with you, or should somebody win?"

By the end of the episode, the girls have saved the men from an attacking alien robot, and in turn the members of A.W.S.M. ask if they can join the girls' club (which the girls fittingly decide to call the Society of Associated Puffketeers, or SAPs for short).

Even when the girls underestimate themselves, they're proven wrong. In Super Zeros (S3:E7) the girls wish they were more like their favorite comic book heroes Freedom Gal (based on Wonder Woman), Spore (based on Spawn), and Bunny-Bunny (base on Hello Kitty). Prof. Utonium is incredulous, and says "So you think if you get the gadgets, costumes, and attitude you'll be better heroes?! (....) Oh to be young and impressionable."

The girls spend a day creating new personas based on their favorite comics, then face a number of difficulties brought on by the limitations of these personas: because Blossom as Liberty Belle drives a vehicle she immediately gets stuck in a traffic jam caused by the monster attack she is trying to prevent, Bubbles as Harmony Bunny doesn't fare much better since she pogos everywhere, and Buttercup as Mange doesn't even make it out of the house because it's "too bright. Mange only travels at night." 

When they do eventually arrive at the fight, it's the monster himself who brings them to their senses.

"Better heroes, huh? (....) I've been coming here for three days causing all sorts of damage to your town, and what do I get? Two days of no-shows, and now this: a flag girl a girl who does rope tricks, some rabbit, and little miss darkness who's afraid of a little sun. (....) Sure you didn't have a thirst for vengeance, stickers with your face on them, or suped-up vehicles, because you didn't need them. Even if you take away the costumes, the props, and the angst, you're still have all the bravery and courage it takes to save the day." 

Prof. Utonium has a similar message for the girls in Bubblevision (S3:E4) "What is important is that you always want to be at your best so you can fight that giant ant or whatever and save the day."

This is what being a superhero is all about. They may not have the dark grit of modern Batman films, or a flavor of ice cream named after them like Iron Man's "Stark Raving Hazelnuts" in Avengers: Infinity War, but they still try to save the world every day despite being "just little girls."

If she had the chance, Blossom would probably tell the Guardian the same thing she told Princess Morbucks: Being a Powerpuff girl isn't about getting your way, or having the best stuff, or being powerful or popular. It's about using your own unique abilities to help people, and the world we all live in. (S2:E1)

Bubbles and Buttercup on the other hand probably wouldn't be quite as nice. 

Bubbles: "We didn't want to be part of your stupid club anyways." 

Buttercup: "You're wearing your underwear on the outside."

TV's Woman of STEM

Happy Women's Equality Day! Today, let's celebrate T.V.'s awesome and inspirational women of STEM.


10. Maura Isles, Rizzoli & Isles

Dr. Maura Isles is the most chic, fashionable, kickass medical examiner in Boston. She even takes on a serial killer and lives to tell the tale.


9. Cristina Yang, Grey's Anatomy

If there's one word to use when describing Cristina Yang, it's awesome. She's driven, she's smart, she's tough. And as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and Cristina Yang is the only member of staff tough and smart enough to leave "Seattle Grace Mercy Death Hospital" while she still can.


8. Sandy Cheeks,  Spongebob Squarepants

Who lives in a treedome under the sea? Why it's Sandy Cheeks, the scientist squirrel! Sandy is always ready to get her friends from the Krusty Krab out of a pickle (get it?!) as long as she can use science--or karate--to do so.


7. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Bones

She's an anthropologist, she's a medical examiner, and she works with the F.B.I. If all you remember of Bones is a strange, awkward woman, watch the pilot episode which shows Brennan as a fearless adventurer who'll do anything to get her man...behind bars.


6. Princess Bubblegum, Adventure Time

She might be sweet and made of candy, but make no mistake, this teenage princess is a super scientist, capable of creating life itself, curing zombie-ism, and saving the day. Princess Bubblegum puts other pink princesses to shame.

5. Mac, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Dr. Elizabeth Macmillan, Mac to her friends, is always available to help her friend Phryne Fisher solve another murder. The only female doctor on the show, the only female to routinely wear trousers, the only woman allowed in autopsies without police permission, Mac is the one person Phryne can always count on.


4. Violet Baudelaire, Series of Unfortunate Events

Perhaps the most overlooked of all the female STEM protagonists, 14-year-old Violet also has the distinction of being one of the few female engineers on page or screen. Using her inventions and knowledge of physics, Violet repeatedly saves herself and her two siblings, Sunny (the baby) and Klaus (age ten), from the clutches of Count Olaf, who wants the orphans' inheritance. Luckily for the children, Violet inherited more than just money from their parents--she seems to have also inherited their love of knowledge, justice, adventure, and engineering.


3. Joan Watson, Elementary

No matter how you feel about the gender switch for Watson, you have to admit this Watson is a bad ass. She's a medical doctor who gives up the surgical suite to become a companion for recovering drug addicts, helping them through the process. This is how she meets Sherlock, a recovering addict, but instead of being just his companion, she becomes his protege, and even strikes out on her own as a detective. She fights bad guys, shoots guns, and uses her know-how to help Sherlock save the case.


2. Gemma Simmons, Agents of SHIELD

Smart, strong, brave, Gemma Simmons is everything the Agents of SHIELD need to face terrorists, super villains, aliens, and anything else the universe sends her way. She is the glue that holds the team together, and the one member they really can't do without.


1. Dana Scully, The X Files

F.B.I. Agent Dana Scully, MD, is not only one of the greatest female protagonists on television, but she's credited with increasing female interest in the sciences, with studies showing that her female fans are more likely to go into a STEM field. Maybe that's because on this still-popular show, Scully is the voice of reason, the skeptic who requires hard facts and evidence before she'll even consider Mulder's theories. She's originally brought onto the X-Files to debunk the cases and Agent Mulder, but instead she uses science to lend credibility to his investigations. Plus, she's calm under fire, super resourceful, and always saving Mulder's life.

"Saturday Night Fever" Boogies onto the Stage at TBTS!

Matunuck—Put on your "Boogie Shoes" and practice your "Jive Talklin'" because Saturday Night Fever has arrived at Theatre By the Sea!

Based on the 1977 film starring John Travolta, the musical brings the music and dances of the times to the stage. Kyle Dixon's scenic design once again turns the historic old barn theatre into New York City with lighting designer Jose Santiago's help. From the Brooklyn Bridge to the graffiti-covered subway train above the stage, the duo has set the scene for the company to bring the audience back to NYC in the 1970s.

Schyler Conway plays dance-crazed and dazzling-smiled Tony, who loves dancing above all else. Conway shows off his voice during "Top of Your Game," proving he's more than just fancy footwork. Melissa Rapelje plays his romantic interest, Stephanie, who delivers her comebacks with a quick, cool wit.

Conway as Tony and Rapelje as Stephanie

Alexa Shanahan's Pauline is a vision straight from the '70s, from her long crimped hair to her roller skates. Collier Cobb plays the lovelorn Annette, who is sure to break audiences' hearts with her powerful rendition of "If I Can't Have You."

Cobb as Annette and Conway as Tony (center)

If you enjoyed Ebony Deloney's song as Miss Medda Larkin during Newsies, you're in luck—she has returned to the TBTS stage as Candy, the 2001 Odyssey discotheque owner. Her renditions of "Disco Inferno" and "Night Fever" are sure to get audiences in the mood to groove. Brian Ashton Miller, who plays Monty the DJ at the 2001 Odyssey discotheque, brings a lot of fun and joy to the scenes at the disco.

Deloney as Candy and Miller as Monty

The driving force behind this musical is dancing, and this production has many gifted dancers. Of particular note are Abby Matsusaka and Anthony J. Martinez, who give their all during their dance to "Salsation" in the dance competition, and truly did deserve to win.

Saturday Night Fever will be playing at Theatre By the Sea Tuesdays through Sundays through September 8th; show times vary. Parents should note that the musical features adult situations and language and may not be appropriate for some younger viewers.Tickets are $54 to $77 and can be purchased in person or by phone at the box office (401-782-8587) or by visiting their website www.theatrebythesea.com.

Photos by Steven Richard Photography

What Is "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" Based On?

Gold plated revolver in her purse, knife in her garter, the ultimate in style and sophistication, aristocratic lady detective the Honourable Phyne Fisher is one cool dame. What other women in the 1920s would dare to drive a racecar, fly an airplane, and still have time to solve mysteries and take care of a ward? Who is this woman? And where did this character come from?

The Australian crime drama television show Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012 - ) is based on the series of 20 novels by author Kerry Greenwood. Greenwood was granted her first writing contract in 1988, a two-book deal about a detective set in 1928, and Greenwood soon found herself facing writer’s block. In the foreword to the compendium of the first three Miss Fisher novels, she described coming up with the character of Phryne Fisher while riding the subway:

“A lady with a Lulu bob, feather earrings, a black cloth coat with an Astrakhan collar and a black cloche jammed down over her exquisite eyebrows. She wore delicate shoes of sable glace kid with a Louis heel. She moved with a fine louche grace, as though she knew that the whole tram was staring at her and she both did not mind and accepted their adulation as something she merited. She leaned towards me. I smelt rice powder and Jicky. “Why not write about me?” she breathed.”

Greenwood wrote the first novel Cocaine Blues which was published the next year, and went on to write 19 additional Phryne Fisher novels so far. 

In 2011 the novels were selected by producers Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger for their new show because of the books’ wide audience. Eagger told If Magazine that the producers “were a bit curious to know what it was about it that could appeal to a 16-year-old and a 70-year-old.”  

The answer was simple. Eagger described Miss Fisher as “one of the first feminists. She chooses to live alone, she chooses not to get married. She’s got many lovers. She’s a bit of a James Bond action hero – she’s much better dressed than James Bond though.”

Or, as actress Essie Davie (who plays Phyne in the television series) describes the character, she’s “a strong, sexy, clever, brilliant, flawed, beautiful woman (....) a cross between Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie style, James Bond and Wonder Woman.” 

While the show’s Phryne remains true to the novels’ character, there are a number of differences between the show and the books: Phryne’s sister Jane, for one, is not dead in the books, nor is Mrs. Butler; in the books Phryne adopts not just Jane, but Jane’s friend Ruth as well, and Phryne’s companion Dorothy “Dot” Williams is not afraid of electricity and was hired by Phryne off the street; arch nemesis Murdoch Foyle was invented for the show.

But much of the original novels remains, notably the feel of the time period, the major characters, and most importantly, Phryne herself. She is every bit her own woman, fully capable in every way, who does what she wants despite what is deemed “appropriate behavior” her time period.

Davis is full of praise for the show, and the character of Phryne in particular, citing her as an actress’s dream role. "It’s been the most fantastic thing, to have such a strong, sexy, clever, brilliant, flawed, beautiful woman to play."

Fans couldn't agree more. The show has been so successful that a trilogy of films is now in the works, and a spin-off show Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries follows the adventures of her niece, Peregrine Fisher, in the 1960s. With 20 novels about Phryne, there's plenty of material to draw from to keep this smart and sexy lady-detective busy on screens of all sizes for years to come.

The Problem with New Earth

Last Saturday marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which brought mankind to the Moon and one step closer to other planets. Now, 50 years later, we are planning to use the Moon as a stepping stone for our next leap into space--Mars. The dream, of course, is that we will one day be able to live on a new planet.

The idea that we may settle on a "New Earth" is an appealing one. Just ask Hollywood. With movies like Intersteller, The Martian, Mission to Mars, etc., Hollywood would have us believe that this is the future for the human race. And considering the various catastrophic problems scientists predict that Earth faces in the next 100 years (flooding, food shortages, increased temperatures, pollution), it may seem like a good idea for us to have an escape plan. 

But what would it actually entail? Hollywood seems to think we simply need to pick up our potatoes and move to Mars. But man cannot survive on potatoes alone, as dietitians (or anyone on a low carb diet) will tell you. Survival of the species depends on a varied diet, and 75% of our crops are produced by pollinators (including blueberries, almonds, chocolate, and coffee). Presumably, then, we will need to bring pollinators like bees with us too. 

But not all bees are created equal. Honey is produced by honeybees, but chocolate is produced by stingless bees. In order to produce foods like tomatoes, we’ll need bumble bees, while squashes are predominantly produced by gourd bees. Other pollinator bees include leaf cutter, mason, mining, and solitary bees.

Also, depending on a single type of organisms for all of your foodstuffs is the road to disaster. After all, Buzz survived his jaunt to the moon but how will bees fair under other gravitational conditions? Space colony collapse could spell the end of the human race. Luckily, bees aren’t the only pollinators. In fact, some foods are produced exclusively by animals other than bees. Enjoy agave and tequila? We’ll need bats. Like bananas? We’ll need bats and birds. Love coconuts? We’ll need insects and bats. Like figs? We’ll need fig wasps. 

What will keep all these insects in check so that we aren’t overrun but ensure that the healthiest pollinators survive? Typically, this has been the job of predators like birds, frogs, and newts. It is therefore probably a good idea to bring some of those with us too, to prevent a single sick bee from destroying entire colonies, and, in turn, our food supplies. What stops the predators’ populations from growing out of control and eating all of our bees? Other predators, like cats, foxes, and bigger birds. 

Presuming we end up on a planet that isn’t identical to Earth, we’ll probably be spending most of our time indoors where we can control things like gravity, atmosphere, and weather. This will cause us to be vitamin D deficient, since we receive most of our vitamin D from sunlight. To counteract this, we’ll need supplies of fish like salmon, tuna, and Atlantic cod. We’ll need huge vats of salt water for these animals, plus the various smaller fish and crustaceans that they eat. 

Lastly, it’s hard to imagine a world where the likes of Chris Evans, Paris Hilton, or Queen Elizabeth leave their dogs behind. Of course, dogs are not vegetarians. To bring man’s best friends along, we’ll need to have sources of meat like cows and chickens. 

In addition to food, we’ll probably need some oxygen, so planting bigger, non-food producing trees will be a good idea. Forests have typically been created by animals that eat trees’ acorns etc., so we’ll want to bring some squirrels and mice with us. Good thing we’re bringing all those foxes and cats along to keep their numbers at bay. 

We’ll also need a variety of organisms to create soil. After all, having saplings but no soil will not help us much. So we’ll need some decomposers to break down fallen trees and dead vegetation, such as slugs, mushrooms, and worms. 

Once we’ve packed our space ark with insects, bats, frogs, birds, mice, squirrels, foxes, cats, dogs, cows, chickens, and slugs, we’re essentially saying to all other animals that they’re on their own. This will likely lead to the extinction of animals like polar bears, pandas, seals, rabbits, sea turtles, horses, giraffes, goldfish, elephants, whales, and any other creature we have deemed “unnecessary” to our newly created food web. Assuming that we’ve left to avoid the unstoppable catastrophe on Earth, humans will be the cause of the greatest extinction event on the planet. 

Sorry about Earth, lil guys--you're on your own.

Not to mention the people. It will be up to those with space crafts and New Earth domes to determine who gets to move and who has to stay behind. It is unlikely, after all, that there will be enough resources to house all 7 or 8 billion humans. Money will be worthless at that point, so people won't be able to buy passage. Plus, travelling to New Earth will involve space travel, which any NASA astronaut would tell us not everyone is physically cut out for.

People will therefore be selected just like the animal species were--survival on a fledgling New Earth will require all people living there to have specific, specialized skills too. This means only people who live in a country with the capabilities to reach New Earth have a chance of being chosen, and of them, only those who are healthy, young, and have whatever specific skills current New Earth residents lack (doctors, engineers, biologists, laborers, etc.) will be selected. Everyone else will be doomed to the same fate as all the hedgehogs and sea horses.

Sorry about Earth, lil guy....

Now, consider yourself. Are you healthy enough to be considered for emigration to New Earth? Are you also a doctor, or a phycist? And are you young enough to be considered, and will you still be young enough once New Earth has been discovered and it is ready for human populations? What about your family? Your friends?

New Earth is a nice idea, and it could be the future for mankind. But it only ensures the survival of the species, not the survival of everyone. This is why rather than hope that we can find a new place to destroy over time (becuase let's face it--if we can't take care of the Earth we have, what makes us think we'd do better next time?), it is important for us to strive to save the Earth we have.

Extra Extra! Newsies "Seize the Day" at TBTS!

Matunuck—Theatre by the Sea welcomes New York City to the barn theatre's stage in its newest production, Disney's Newsies!

This Sunday marks the 120th anniversary of the real 1899 newspaper boy strike, which Disney's Newsies is based on. This production's curtain shows the front page of The World newspaper, which explains how during the Spanish-American War, publishers raised what they charged the newsboys for 100 papers from 50 cents to 60 cents, lowering it again after the war ended, except for the Evening World and the New York Evening Journal which refused to lower their prices, causing the boys to strike.

The curtain raises to reveal that scenic designer Kyle Dixon has truly outdone himself. Dixon's set is elegantly transformed from the streets of New York City (complete with lines of drying laundry and fire escapes) to the inside of Medda's Theatre to Pulitzer's office. Most impressive, though, is the set's appearance during the finale, when Jose Santiago's lighting creates the effect of sunrise in the back alleys of New York which is truly breathtaking.

The Set of Newsies

Charlie Sutton's choreography is also impressive, creating dance routines that are inclusive of Crutchie, the crutch-using side-kick to the musical's lead Jack Kelly. Joseph Allen, who plays Crutchie, manages to keep up with his fellow Newsies in the group dance numbers by using his crutch instead of resorting to suddenly and inexplicably being able to dance on two legs, thanks to Allen's skills and Sutton's careful planning.

 Clay Roberts as Jack Kelly and Joseph Allen as Crutchie

Clay Roberts plays the charming Jack Kelly, the leader of the newsies who starts the strike. Roberts has his Kelly's hard exterior softened by Katherine Plumber, a young female journalist trying to make it in a man's world. McGrath portrays Plumber as strong and sure of herself, makng her a true ally to the newsies.

Katie Claire McGrath as Katherine Plumber and Clay Roberts as Jack Kelly

Medda Larkin, another strong female ally of the newsies, is played by Ebony Deloney. Although she only performs one number, "That's Rich," Deloney's Larkin is sure to be remembered by audiences for her charm.

Ebony Deloney as Medda Larkin

If opening night is any indication, audiences are sure to love the cast numbers "King of New York" and "Seize the Day," as well as McGrath's "Watch What Happens."

At opening night, owner and producer Bill Hanney announced the 2020 season lineup, which boasts not the typical four shows but five: Mamma Mia! returns to Theatre By the Sea in May, followed by the jukebox musical Million Dollar Quartet, the classic Funny Girl, family-friendly Cinderella, and ending with the fabulous Kinky Boots.

And for those who missed 2014's sensational production of Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack you are in luck—the show is returning to the old barn theatre for one night and one night only: July 29th.

Newsies will be playing at Theatre By the Sea Tuesdays through Sundays through August 10th; show times vary. Tickets are $54 to $77 and can be purchased in person or by phone at the box office (401-782-8587) or by visiting their website www.theatrebythesea.com.

Photos by Steven Richard Photography

How "One Small Step For Man" Was Made Possible By One Working Woman

Fifty years ago next weekend, mankind did what seemed as impossible now as it did then—they sent a astronauts to the Moon. Ok, so maybe it doesn't seem that impossible (considering that we are now trying to send astronauts to Mars), but considering the technology available at the time it's no wonder there are so many skeptics. In 1969, there were no smartphones, no cell phones, no Wikidepia or Google to look something up real quick. All of this poses an obvious problem if you're planning to do something no one has ever done before, and you might therefore encounter unknown problems.

Mission Control's computer controlled much of the trip from Earth, which is a good thing considering it was the size of a small room. But the final descent was made by a "micro" computer onboard the space craft, and was a mere 70 lbs. This computer was the smallest and most sofisticated computer in existence at the time. Being advanced, of course, does not prevent a computer from crashing, which is exactly what happened as Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were mid-way to landing their pod on the Moon.

Imagine you’re in a self driving car, traveling 70 miles an hour toward a solid cement wall. Now imagine that your navigation computer crashes and reboots 5 times in 4 minutes as you hurtle toward the wall at full speed. This was, in effect, what happened to Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as their 70 pound “mini” computer which controlled their lunar landing crashed repeatedly during their 4 minute decent. 

The onboard computer looks more like a simple calculator than anything we’d recognize as a computer today; made of a numerical keypad and a few additional buttons, the display provided the astronauts information in three lines of coded numbers, which Armstrong had to decode from memory before punching in his numeric responses. Unfortunately, “1202” was not a code he recognized, so every time it displayed on the screen he had to call Houston to ask what he should do. He would wait while the NASA scientists conferred with each other, then they would come back on the line and give him their decision. The answer was always the same—keep going. 

A replica of the onboard computer's display and keypad

It turns out that 1202 was the code the computer displayed when it crashed. Luckily for Aldrin and Armstrong, the computer scientists who designed the computer had made provisions for the computer to save the most important data before crashing, such as their trajectory and location in space. This allowed the decent to be successful, even if it meant the men landed several miles from the intended final location. The number 1202 meant thiis process was working.

The error processing code was created by Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist at MIT. Her team was in charge of creating the software which landed Apollo 11 on the moon—the coding for this software, when printed, stood as tall as she did. But it was worth every page. Without it, Apollo 11 likely would have crashed as the computer would have been unable to pick up where it had last left off. 

Hamilton with her code

But why did Hamilton do this? In part, because she was a working mother. She had brought her 4 year old daughter Lauren to work with her one day, and the child had been playing in the lunar lander simulator MIT had. Lauren, being 4 years old, did not know the protocols for the astronauts, and pressed a button mid-simulation that crashed the entire computer, losing all of the simulated flight’s navigation data. Hamilton saw this as a potential flaw, and notified her superiors that a backup system should be programmed into the computer to prevent errors from erasing the data from the lander’s navigation system. 

Naturally, her superiors declined, saying an actual astronaut would not make this catastrophic mistake. Several weeks later, when an astronaut pushed the exact same button mid-simulation to the same disasterous results, Hamilton received a call letting her know her team would need to create a work around after all. 

Hamilton with her daughter

Hamilton's team made the necessary updates to the software, and the rest is history.

This is just one example of why having women in the workforce is important. Different people bring different viewpoints when approaching problem-solving. Without this working mom, this story may have ended very differently, and if Apollo 11 had crashed, it could have set back computers and software by decades, and our laptops and smartphones might still be distant dreams.