s we celebrate Black History Month, we are reminded of the people in our past who paved the way for our present and future. We celebrate those in the past for creating new paths and expanding the conversation of the opportunities that exist for those who dare to dream of being something different and great.
For Carl Sandifer II, that dream is being realized as the Deputy Chief of the Space Science Project Office at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Sandifer’s story is why CODE M Magazine was created. The magazine’s goal of finding and highlighting Black people doing amazing things are realized by profiling Sandifer.
Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Sandifer knew as a child that we wanted to work in science. But landing his dream job took a little bit more luck and imagination than he anticipated.
“I knew that I wanted to work in the field of science, and I got lucky when I ended up at NASA,” Sandifer said.
Sandifer working at NASA lets young people around Cleveland know that if they work hard, they, too, could find their dream job right in their own backyard. So how does a kid, like Sandifer, get a job at one of the country’s most important organizations?
“I attended Bowling Green State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Mechanical Design Technology. I completed additional aerospace coursework in orbital mechanics and flight dynamics at Case Western Reserve University and earned a Master of Business Administration at Indiana Wesleyan University,” Sandifer explained. “I got lucky and got into NASA through a co-op program as a freshman in college, now called NASA Pathways.”
That luck has turned into a twenty-year career for Sandifer and now he is working on some of the most important projects that NASA currently is developing.
“We are currently working on the development and maturation of radioisotope power systems with the U.S. Department of Energy, which provides the power to explore our solar system and beyond through the use of plutonium-238 dioxide,” Sandifer said. (https://rps.nasa.gov)
“There is also the Photovoltaic Investigation on the Lunar Surface, or PILS, experiment,” Sandifer continued. (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2021/out-of-the-shadows-lunar-solar-experiment-build-completed-despite-challenges)
Sandifer is also working on getting the US back to the moon. Describing the mission, Sandifer said, “When Artemis astronauts go back to the Moon, they will need access to electric power to live and work on the surface. Solar power will be one of the options to sustain human life and science for those long-duration missions. A solar power experiment designed by a team of investigators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center will launch to the Moon on Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lander.
“Using state-of-the-art solar cells like the ones on today’s orbiting satellites and next-generation space solar cell technologies, PILS will demonstrate light-to-electricity power conversion devices for future missions. The experiment will also collect data on the electrical charging environment of the lunar surface using a small array of solar cells. We shipped the hardware to Astrobotic on Oct. 13, 2021.”
Sandifer describes the best part of his job as having the privilege to work with an extremely talented, intelligent, and creative workforce. He never imagined that he would be involved in helping NASA get to Mars and explore our solar system and beyond.
Sandifer advises anyone looking to follow him to strive to be the best at what they do. Seek mentors, provide mentorship, and pursue opportunities for growth. For Black people, science has always been an allusive area to venture into. For school-age children in the inner city, support for science can sometimes be hard to find.
NASA is looking to change the way young people engage and explore science as a career. The NASA Pathways and USAJOBS websites offer chances for applicants to review job requirements for positions at the agency and apply for positions.
When Sandifer isn’t working, he likes to spend time with his wife and kids and travel and enjoy golf. Sandifer’s position at NASA is born out of an extreme amount of demanding work and a little luck. What he doesn’t realize is that he has turned into a model for young Black kids coming behind him — he’s the person they see when they envision themselves living out their own dreams. And that is what Black history is supposed to be. ●
