The NFFPTC hands out the Dr. R.L. Forward award for notable achievements in advanced propulsion. This award is from the NFFPTC and is not included in the AIAA technical awards.
The award is named in honor of Dr. Robert L. Forward (August 15, 1932 – September 21, 2002), an american physicist and author. He was an authority on gravity waves and was involved in the creation of the first gravitational wave detectors. He authored a number of inventions and had 18 patents to his name. He founded the Tethers unlimited inc. company with Robert P Hoyt, where he served as chief scientist and chairman until 2002. His work on tethers and solar sails was pioneering and innovative.
His two best known works of fiction are Dragon’s Egg and Rocheworld, both dealing with worlds in exceptional gravitational settings.
| Winner | Year | Accomplishments | Employment |
| Gary L Bennett | 2024 | Honored for his foundational contributions to space nuclear power systems. | |
| Bryan Palaszewski | 2018 | Awarded for his extensive research into advanced propulsion concepts and planetary expedition | NASA, Glenn research center |
| Marc G. Millis | 2021 | Honored for his pioneering work in breakthrough propulsion physics and interstellar flight. | NASA, Glenn research center |
| Dr.Frank Mead | Advanced propulsion concepts | Former AFRL Director | |
| Stanley Gunn | NERVA project | Former project manager, NERVA project, Rocketdyne | |
| Dr. Brice Cassenti | Advanced propulsion concepts and Interstellar missions | Prof. Univ.of Connecticut, | |
| Dr.Robert Frisbee | Advanced propulsion concepts and Interstellar missions | JPL (ret) | |
| Dr. Stan Borowski | Fission NTP and bi-modal systems | NASA, Glenn research center (ret) | |
| Dr.Terry Kammash | Fusion systems | NASA, Glenn research center (ret) |
