Eleanor Helin

Academic Career

• Principal Investigator of Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) which later on was responsible for detecting 26,000 objects

• Organized the International Near-Earth Asteroid survey in efforts to spark a worldwide interest in asteroids and astronomy as a whole.

• Scientists that assisted Helin were Schelte J. Bus, R. Scott Dunbar, Maria A. Barucci, Eugene M. Shoemaker and Kenneth J. Lawrence

• Started career as a geologist and studied rocks and minerals of Earth but later developed a lunar labratory to help NASA learn and know where to land on the surface of the moon

References

• http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/visitor/visitorcenter/helinCommemorative/

• http://planetarydefense.blogspot.com/2009/02/eleanor-glo-helin-rememberance.html

• http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/text/neat_pr.txt

• http://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2010/03/04/Let-s-Learn-About-Dr-Eleanor-F-Helin/stories/201003040342

• http://www.jpl.nasa.v/releases/96/astcome.html

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8013_Gordonmoore

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_F._Helin

Education

• https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/admissions-prod-storage.cloud.caltech.edu/styles/grid_15/s3/Beckman_Institute-1.jpg?itok=A7s-ZC-3

• Studied planetary science and astronomy at the California Institute of Technology and The Jet Propulsion Labratory.

• https://www.rotaryfirst100.org/presidents/1910harris/paulharris/orbit/helin.htm#.Vgp_kflViko

• http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/visitor/visitorcenter/helinCommemorative/

• http:///www.witi.com/center/witimuseum/halloffame/126095/Eleanor-Francis-Helin-Member-of0-Technical-Staff-Planetary-Scientist-and-Astronomer-Jet-Propulsion

Death

• Died January 25, 2009 at the age of 76.

Contributions to Science

• Discovered 872 asteroids and discovered/co-discovered several comets

• Initiated the Palomar Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey from the Palomar Observatory which later assisted in the discovery of many asteroids, high inclination orbits, comets and approximately 30% of near-earth asteroids discovered

• Most signifigant discovery was an asteroid titles "Aten" which is the first asteroid to have an orbit smaller than Earth's

Early Life

• Born on November 19, 1932.

• Born in Flagstaff, Arizona

• Not much on her hobbies, childhood, or early family life but it is mentioned that she always had a very deep interest in science.

Eleanor F. Helin

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=11996600&height=267&width=200

Personal Life

• Married Ronald P. Helin

• They didnt have any children

• Retired with her husband in Thousand Oaks, California

Acknowledgements

• Received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal

• 1997 JPL Award for Excellence

• NASA's Group Achievement Award

• Asteroid (3267) "Glo" was named after her by the International Astronomical Union

• The "USS Helin" was named after her in Star Trek