Eleanor Francis Helin
Member of Technical Staff, Planetary Scientist & Astronomer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Fields: Planetary Science and Astronomy
Specialty: Asteroid Tracking
Nominated by: Donna Shirley

Excerpt from nomination: Eleanor F. (Glo) Helin has been active in Planetary Science and Astronomy for almost 35 years at the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In the early 1970's she initiated the Palomar Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey (PCAS) from Palomar Observatory. This program is responsible for the discovery of several thousand asteroids of all types including approximately 30 percent of the Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA's) discovered world-wide, over 200 high inclination objects, other rare and unique orbital types of asteroids; and 20 comets. Also, in 1989, she recovered the Halley-type Periodic Comet Borosen-Metcalf, previously seen in 1919. One of the most significant discoveries was that of asteroid (2062) Aten, the first asteroid found to have an orbit smaller than that of the Earth. It has become a prototype of a new class of asteroids, now numbering 30. She also organized and coordinated the International Near-Earth Asteroid Survey (INAS) during the 1980's, encouraging and stimulating interest in asteroids. In recognition of Helin's accomplishments, she received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal and asteroid (3267) Helin was named for her by the International Astronomical Union. The 1997 JPL Award for Excellence was presented to Helin in recognition of her leadership of the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program Helin has also received NASA's Group Achievement Award for the NEAT Team.

After conducting the PCAS photographic search program from Palomar for nearly 25 years to June 1995, Helin concentrated on bringing on-line a new, upgraded search program using electronic sensors on a large aperture telescope.

Helin is Principal Investigator of the NEAT program operated from JPL. It is an electronic Near-Earth Asteroid (and comet) search program utilizing a JPL fabricated CCD camera installed on an Air Force 1 meter telescope located at the summit of Haleakula on the island of Maui. This has been in operation since December 1995 and has detected over 26,000 objects, including 30 Near-Earth Asteroids, two Long Period Asteroids, and the unique object 1996 PW, the most eccentric asteroid known, which moves in a long-period, comet-like orbit. This is the first totally autonomous observing program: no JPL personnel are on site, only the JPL Sunspark station/computer which runs the observing through the night and transmits the data back to JPL each morning for team member review and confirmation before forwarding positions of the new objects to the Minor Planet Center at the SAO.

As well as near-space objects Helin has been pursuing distant trans-neptunian objects (TNO's) with Palomar's 200-inch telescope, where in September 1996 she and David Rabinowitz discovered Palomar's (Caltech/JPL) first TNO, 1996 RQ20, the most unusual TNO known because of its high inclination. During observing time in October 1997 Helin, with Rabinowitz, discovered two additional TNO's making a total of three TNO's found in the last year using that telescope.