Robert Herndon was a leader—a man who set precedents, blazed trails, and taught others.  He was a man who made progress and history.

Mr. Herndon was an engineer at North American Aviation when the technological upheaval of supersonic flight was taking place in aeronautics. Americans were mastering rocketry, which would eventually take them to the moon. During his career at North American, Mr. Herndon was included in a LIFE magazine story about successful young black men.

Mr. Herndon joined The Aerospace Corporation in 1961 as a structural engineer, later moving to systems management and positions of increasing responsibility. As group director of the Advanced Mission Analysis Directorate, he was responsible for performing Aerospace systems studies for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

At the time of his death, in 1976, his career was still unfolding, and his true potential had notyet been realized.

Mr. Herndon was a compassionate human being who avoided the isolation of arrogance.  The essence of his greatness was his humility. Throughout his career, he satisfied his great need to share with others his love, his insights, his wit and intelligence, and his view of the world.  

The Aerospace Corporation is proud to honor Mr. Herndon for his outstanding and significant contributions as a scientist, engineer, and humanitarian.

The 49th annual Robert H. Herndon Memorial Science Competition will be held in Chantilly, VA, on May 21st, 2026. 

MAY 21, 2026 AGENDA

The registration package contains all the forms, information, and critical deadlines needed for participation.  Please Contact us (herndonscienceeast@aero.org) with any late registration requests.

• Competition Registration Instruction
• Competition Brochure
• Media Release Form (pdf) 

Registration for the 2026 Herndon Memorial Science Competition is now closed.