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 Eleanor Francis "Glo"
Helin (19 November 1932 - 25 January 2009) was an American
astronomer. She was principal investigator of the Near Earth
Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program of NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. Some sources[who?] give her name as Eleanor Kay
Helin. She retired in 2002.
Helin discovered or
co-discovered 872 asteroids, including the first two Aten
asteroids: 2062 Aten and 2100 Ra-Shalom; the Apollo asteroids
4660 Nereus, 4769 Castalia and others; various Amor asteroids;
three Trojan asteroids including 3240 Laocoon; and 9969 Braille.
She also discovered or co-discovered comets, including
periodic comets 111P/Helin-Roman-Crockett, 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu
and 132P/Helin-Roman-Alu.
Helin is credited as the
discoverer of the object now known as both asteroid 4015
Wilson-Harrington and comet 107P/Wilson-Harrington. Although
Wilson and Harrington preceded her by some decades, their
observations did not establish an orbit for the object, while
her rediscovery did.
Asteroid 3267 Glo is named for her
("Glo" is Helin's nickname).
Helin was active in
planetary science and astronomy at the California Institute of
Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for over three
decades. In the early 1970s, she initiated the Palomar
Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey (PCAS) from Palomar Observatory.
This program is responsible for the discovery of thousands of
asteroids of all types including more than 200 in high
inclination orbits, other rare and unique orbital types of
asteroids, 20 comets, and approximately 30 percent of the
near-earth asteroids discovered worldwide.
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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION
LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109
TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Mary Beth Murrill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 1998
ASTEROID FINDER NAMED TO WOMEN IN
TECHNOLOGY HALL OF FAME
Asteroid
finder and astronomer Eleanor F. Helin of NASA's
Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, has been named to the
Women in Science and Technology International (WITI) Hall of
Fame, an award that honors women in science and technology
worldwide.
Helin will be honored
at ceremonies to be held Thursday,
June 25, at 7 p.m.,
during the WITI 1998 Technology Summit in
Santa Clara, CA.
The largest-ever conference of top women in
technology, the
WITI 1998 Technology Summit will draw more than
3,500
technologists and scientists from around the world. WITI
Hall of Fame was launched in 1996 to recognize, honor, and
promote the outstanding contributions women make to the
scientific and technological communities and society at large.
Inductees are chosen by an independent panel of judges.
Donna Shirley, manager of JPL's
Mars Exploration Program,
was inducted into the WITI Hall of
Fame last year, and is a
featured speaker at Thursday's
ceremonies.
Helin has been
active in planetary science and astronomy for
more than
three decades at the California Institute of Technology
and
JPL, a division of Caltech managed for NASA. She is the
principal investigator for the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking
(NEAT) program, a collaborative effort of NASA, JPL and the U.S.
Air Force which has already detected more than 26,000
objects
including 30 near-Earth asteroids.
In the early 1970s, Helin initiated the Palomar Planet-
Crossing Asteroid Survey from Caltech's Palomar Observatory in
Southern California, resulting in the discovery of thousands
of
asteroids of all types including 100 near-Earth asteroids
and 20
comets. One of the most significant discoveries
was that of
asteroid 2026 Aten, the first asteroid found to
have an orbit
smaller than the Earth. Another of her
asteroid discoveries, KD
1992, was recently named the new
target for a flyby by to be
conducted in July 1999 by the
NASA/JPL Deep Space 1 spacecraft,
due for launch this
November.
Helin is a recipient
of NASA's Exceptional Service Medal and
the 1997 JPL Award
for Excellence for her leadership of the NEAT
program.
The International Astronomical Union named asteroid
3267
Helin in her honor. Helin and her husband reside in
Thousand Oaks, CA.
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