Parker Solar Probe wins 2024 Collier Trophy
Awarded by the National Aeronautic Association since 1911, the 2024 Robert J. Collier Trophy for “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America” will be presented to the Parker Solar Probe Team on June 12 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The Parker mission was led by a team from NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and launched in 2018. In 2024, the spacecraft ventured into the sun’s corona at a record-setting altitude of just 3.83 million miles above the solar surface, seven times closer than any human-made object before and—at a peak speed of 430,000 mph—also faster. To get to this pivotal part of its mission and its twenty-second trip around the sun, Parker maneuvered through a region of the solar atmosphere where highly energetic particles travel at nearly half the speed of light, constantly adjusting the orientation of its sun shield to protect itself from the heat and maintain an internal temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
“This amazing team brought to life an incredibly difficult space science mission that had been studied, and determined to be impossible, for more than 60 years. They did so by solving numerous long-standing technology challenges and dramatically advancing our nation’s spaceflight capabilities,” said APL Director Ralph Semmel. “The Collier Trophy is well-earned recognition for this phenomenal group of innovators from NASA, APL, and our industry and research partners from across the nation.”
Parker was one of five finalists for the Collier Trophy. “As the oldest national aviation organization in the U.S., the NAA’s awards are the most prestigious and sought-after in the industry,” said NAA President and CEO Amy Spowart. “The Collier Trophy is a recognition like no other, and the Parker Solar Probe Team's achievement in earning the 2024 Collier is an extraordinary example of determination, genius, and teamwork. It is our distinct honor to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable team that turned the impossible into reality.”
General aviation made it into the final contestants with Blue Condor (Perlan Project), a hydrogen turbojet mounted on the Arcus J glider; Skyrise One, a flight automation package; and the Gulfstream G700 business jet.
Robert Collier, as president of the Aero Club of America (now NAA), commissioned the Collier Trophy in 1910 to inspire excellence in the American aviation community. The first recipient was Glenn H. Curtiss in 1911 “for development of the hydro-aeroplane,” according to NAA’s website. Other awardees include Orville Wright in 1913, Howard Hughes and his associates for “their epoch making round the world flight in 91 hours and 14 minutes” in 1938, and more recently Garmin Autoland in 2020.
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