Some intriguing names are on the short list for the 2013 Robert J. Collier Trophy after the National Aeronautic Association this week announced a field of nine contenders for the coveted prize.
The nominees include Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower geared turbofan engine, the P-8A Poseidon airplane in development by Boeing for the U.S. Navy, the X-51A scramjet demonstrator, the X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator, the Atlas/Gamera human-powered helicopter project, NASA’s Deep Space Network, the NASA lunar laser communications demonstration project, the Voyager project team and the Orbital Sciences commercial orbital transportation services program.
