Had a key role in rescuing the NASA Apollo 13 astronauts.
She was an expert on the Abort-Guidance System of the Lunar Module, to which the astronauts retreated after an oxygen tank explosion disabled the life-support systems the main capsule. The Lunar Module only had enough electrical power, water, oxygen, and fuel for the short roundtrip from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface. It was never intended for the full Earth-to-Moon-to-Earth transit. Cohen found a way for them to use the Abort-Guidance System to navigate the craft through two mid-course corrections to return to Earth. She did all this while entering labor for the birth of her son, actor Jack Black.
Years later, after retirement, she published a series of career books telling elementary school girls how to become architects, astronomers, botanists, cardiologists, Egyptologists, and professional sports figures.
Sources:
Judith Love Cohen, (Author), Vicky Jenson (Author), MaryAnn Malcomb (Contributor), Claire Morrissey (Contributor), Cathy Jones (Contributor), Michelle Cowart (Contributor), Kathy Zielinski (Contributor). You Can Be a Woman Animator. Culver City, CA: Cascade Pass, Inc., 2004. Accessed 27 December 2021.
“Judith Love Cohen.” Wikipedia (website). Accessed 27 December 2021.