| April 2025 | Selected to attend the Secretary of Defense’s Joint Civilian Orientation Conference |
| Feb. 2025 | NAE Member |
| Nov. 2024 | Distinguished Professor |
| August 2024 | AAS Dirk Brouwer Award |
| June 2023 | Smart Sat Visiting Research Fellow, Australia |
| May 2023 | Hazel Barnes Prize Award (University of Colorado Boulder) |
| Aug 2020 | Collegiate Educator of the Year for the AIAA Rocky Mountain section |
| May 2019 | AIAA Fellow |
| Dec. 2018 | College of Engineering and Applied Science Research Award |
| June. 2018 | College of Engineering and Applied Science Textbook Recognition Award |
| Jan. 2018 | AIAA Mechanics and Control Flight Award |
| July 2017 | Glenn L. Murphy Chair |
| June 2017 | ASEE John Leland Atwood Award |
| May 2017 | College of engineering Top 20 faculty in research |
| May 2017 | Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences Faculty Distinguished Performance Award |
| April 2017 | Graduate School Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award |
| April 2016 | Distinguished Alumni Award - Outstanding Aerospace Engineer, from TAMU Aerospace Engineering department |
| July 2015 | Al and Betty Look Professorship in Engineering |
| April 2015 | Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences Faculty Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching and Mentoring |
| January 2014 | AAS Fellow |
| Jan. 2013 | AIAA Summerfield Book Award |
| Sept. 2012 | Dean's Award for Outstanding Teaching |
| April 2012 | Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence in Teaching Award |
| April 2011 | Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Colorado |
| 2010 | Provost's Faculty Achievement Award, University of Colorado |
| 2007 – 2011 | H. Joseph Smead Fellow, Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department, University of Colorado |
| April 2007 | Golden Screw Award, bestowed by Virginia Tech aerospace and ocean engineering outgoing seniors. |
| July 2006 | Crany Award for ``Most Electrifying Paper'', DCSSS 2006, Greenwich, London. |
| July 2002 | Exemplary Performance Award, ORION International Technologies |
| April 1998 | Distinguished Graduate Student Doctoral Research Award, Texas A&M University |
| Dec. 1993 | National Collegiate Overall Parachuting Champion (first Civilian to win this top award) |
| 1992 – 1993 | Regents Graduate Fellowship for graduate study at Texas A&M University |
| Dec. 1992 | Placed 1st in National Collegiate Skydiving Championship in Master's 4-Way Relative Work Category |
| Dec. 1991 | Placed 1st in National Collegiate Skydiving Championship in Master's 4-Way Relative Work Category |