November 20, 2006 — Mike Gruntman, professor and chair of the USC Viterbi School's Astronautics Division, has received the 2006 Luigi Napolitano Award from the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

Michael Gruntman

The award is for his book “Blazing the Trail: The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry,” published in 2004 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The annual award is given to recognize excellence in recent publications (less than three years) made by an individual or a group non-member of the IAA in any field related to space.