Robert J. Collier Trophy Awarded to the GPS Team

On February 10, 1993, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) selected the Global Positioning System (GPS) Team as winners of the 1992 Robert J. Collier Trophy, the most prestigious aviation award in the United States. This team consists of researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory, the U.S. Air Force, the Aerospace Corporation, Rockwell International Corporations, and IBM Federal Systems Company. trophy picture The citation accompanying the presentation of the trophy honors the GPS Team "for the most significant development for safe and efficient navigation and surveillance of air and spacecraft since the introduction of radio navigation 50 years ago."

The Collier Trophy, established in 1912, is given annually "for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, for improving the performance, efficiency, or safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by its actual use during the preceding year." The original Collier Trophy is on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.