“Loay’s achievements are impressive and a tribute to a mix of brilliance and bravery that he possesses. Leaving Gaza as a youth and not being able to see his family for years did not stop Loay from achieving his dream: he went from Gaza to NASA! What an inspiration to thousands of young people and young refugees. The sky is indeed the limit for the hopes and dreams for this next generation of artists, scientists, and everything in between.” Highlighting Loay’s success in his recent address to the 156th League of Arab States Council Meeting, UNRWA Commissioner-General Phillipe Lazzarini said
Awards
Exceptional achievement part of Mars helicopter team in demonstrating feasibility of helicopter flight in the extremely thin atmosphere at Mars.
The National Aeronautic Association has bestowed the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy on the team behind NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, cementing the pioneering rotorcraft’s place in aerospace history just as it is about to embark on its second year of flying in the frigid, extremely thin atmosphere of the Red Planet.
The Howard Hughes Award is given for an outstanding improvement in fundamental vertical flight technology brought to fruition during the preceding 18 months. The award is intended to foster accomplishments in the basic science and technology disciplines of the vertical flight community, such as aerodynamics, dynamics, structures, propulsion, human factors, electronics, simulation, testing and systems integration. The award was established in 1977 by Hughes Helicopters to honor the memory of Howard Hughes and his pioneering accomplishments in aviation.
The Ingenuity team received the club’s preeminent award, the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, which honors a person or team who has provided leadership in groundbreaking space or aeronautics achievements in the U.S. The helicopter landed last year on the Red Planet attached to the belly of NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover and first took flight in the planet’s extremely thin atmosphere April 19, 2021. Initially slated for no more than five flights, the 4-pound (2-kilogram) craft has completed 22, defying expectations and transitioning from a technology demonstration to an operational tool, acting as an aerial scout for Perseverance. With Ingenuity’s mission extended through September 2022, it can continue testing its limits to support the design of future Mars air vehicles.
Michael Collins Trophy
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum awards its Michael Collins Trophy annually for Lifetime and Current Achievements. The 2022 recipients are Wally Funk for Lifetime Achievement and the Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Team for Current Achievement; they will receive their awards at a ceremony on March 24 at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
Laureate Award
The “little helicopter that could” has garnered attention, fans, and numerous accolades, with the latest coming from Aviation Week Network in the form of a 2021 Laureate Award. The Laureate Awards honor “extraordinary achievements in aerospace.”
The mission picked up the 2021 John L. “Jack” Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration for its history-making achievements. The team behind NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has been named the 2021 winner of the John L. “Jack” Swigert, Jr. Award for Space Exploration from the Space Foundation.
PSSF Outstanding Achievement Award
PSSF Outstanding Achievement Award for work on NASA Ingenuity Mars helicopter as part of Mars 2020
