Slice of History - International Women in Engineering Day: Helen Ling

JPL has been hiring brilliant women for significant scientific and engineering roles ever since Barby Canright in 1939, the first female “human computer,” who was responsible for fundamental calculations related to rocket trajectory and determined thrust ratios that made planes airborne. JPL has continued this in spades, one of those creative and strategic minds being Helen Ling.

Born in China, Helen came to the United States for advanced studies; at the time, she was the only woman to major in Mathematics at the University of Notre Dame. Eventually joining her brother in working at JPL, Helen Ling became a supervisor for the computing group in the 1960s, a team who was responsible for performing trajectory calculations. Throughout her time at JPL, Ling developed software for the IRAS, Magellan, TOPEX/Poseidon, and Mars Observer missions, and retired in 1994. 

Helen was influential in the inclusion of women in STEM positions at JPL. Ling encouraged women within the computing group to attend night school in order to obtain degrees that would allow them more professional opportunities within JPL. A pioneer for women’s rights in the workplace, Helen Ling was so admired in the computing group that those who worked under her lovingly referred to themselves as “Helen’s girls.” Many of “Helen’s girls” went on to become computer scientists and engineers within JPL thanks to the mentorship and guidance of Helen Ling.

Be sure to check out more of JPL’s women in engineering in the Archives’ The Women of JPL digital exhibit! CL#22-6085

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