Changing Hearts

woman sitting on grass near lake

By Yasmin Tadjdeh At 27 years old, Software Analyst Kathy’s life changed forever. After a month of fatigue and flu-like symptoms, the then-elementary school teacher was shocked to discover she had developed cardiomyopathy, a type of heart disease that can lead to heart failure. She needed a heart transplant. Suddenly, Kathy’s days of educating children […]

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Through Smoke and Fire

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By Heather and Kendra Kastelan For Energetics Engineer Heather, the morning of March 2 — test day — was more exciting than most. Alongside more than 20 Test and Research Operations teammates in Promontory, Utah, Heather dedicated weeks to preparing for the first static fire test of a new stage-one solid rocket motor that will […]

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Counting Down 10 Rocket Launch Traditions, Superstitions and Lore

various colored socks

By Caroline Mroz, Bethany Wilson and Leslie Zychowski 2023 marks 10 years since Northrop Grumman’s first Cygnus mission to carry critical cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), launched by our Antares rocket. As our launch team members reflect on the last decade of missions, they share the traditions, superstitions and lore that have powered […]

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At the Helm of Aqua

male smiling

By Michelle A. Monroe Carl was having a conversation with his 9-year-old grandson, Jeremiah, when he began sharing his love of science and how he turned it into a lifelong career. “As Jeremiah began asking more about climate change, I had one piece of advice: Let science be your guide,” Carl said. At Northrop Grumman, […]

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Turning the Page

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By Jillian Wright For three decades, Northrop Grumman’s Aircraft Maintenance and Fabrication Center (AMFC) team kept a key U.S. Air Force fleet flying. The Lake Charles, Louisiana, site — which performs aircraft maintenance and modifications — historically served as the traditional home of the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft program. […]

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Written in the Stars

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Couple Celebrates Their Projects Colliding as Northrop Grumman Helps NASA Retrieve Spacecraft After Splashdown By Michelle A. Monroe Two aerospace engineers fall in love, get married and spend years in each other’s professional orbits before they finally collide. It’s a story practically written in the stars. Debra and Joe, who work for Northrop Grumman and […]

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From Perseverance to Providing Scholarships

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By Taylor Alexander, as told to Emily Gabaldon It wasn’t an easy feat studying aerospace engineering while recovering from jaw surgery. I was born with a birth defect that resulted in a severe craniofacial deformity and I have overcome several surgeries and iterations of braces throughout my life. Just two weeks prior to starting my […]

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The Height of Her Career

woman on gym climbing wall

By Stephanie Flyger If there’s one thing true about Claire, it’s that she can’t be contained: not by a stereotype and not by a desk. Fortunately, as a Northrop Grumman field engineer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she doesn’t have to be — her job takes her around the world and is essentially one she’s been […]

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A Dream Interrupted, a Community Found

male in Air Force uniform next a satellite

By Leigh McLeod Northrop Grumman Mission Assurance Manager Otis was unsure of his future when the college he was attending dropped aerospace engineering from its curriculum. His dream of becoming an aerospace engineer and astronaut seemed out of reach. Then one night, while attending a basketball game at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, […]

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Under the Weather

man standing next to a weather satillite

By Stephanie Flyger Talk to Jim about his job as an atmospheric scientist for more than five minutes, and you’ll likely hear his favorite soapbox speech about the weather. “Anytime someone tells you they have something all-weather they’re lying to you — there’s no such thing,” said Jim, jokingly. “Today, you left your house and […]

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Out of this World Pen-Pals

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By Brandon Hartman When Northrop Grumman Electrical Power Subsystems Lead Meg was tagged in a social media post on her mom’s Facebook profile in the fall of 2020 — proudly highlighting Meg’s work in mission control for a Cygnus launch — she had no idea she would become famous in her hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma. […]

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