Billions of miles from our planet, the spacecraft designed, launched, and monitored by NASA explore the unknown reaches of space, going where no human being is fortunate enough to go. Their missions – to search for ancient life on Mars, take rock samples from asteroids, or even voyage beyond our solar system – are supported by people like Sam Zadeh, a NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) Project Configuration Manager. At JPL, Zadeh oversees project teams to ensure the design requirements of spacecraft are accurately and consistently implemented. Zadeh plays a crucial role in helping each mission to give all of us a glimpse of what lies beyond Earth and to increase our understanding of our place in the universe.
“Even as a child, I loved the mystery of space, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what was out there,” Zadeh remembers. “Each generation of NASA employees was advancing our knowledge of exoplanets, stars, and galaxies, and I knew that when I became older, I wanted to join them.”
In college, Zadeh first obtained his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering before earning his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Aerospace Engineering. After graduating, he went on to work for the world’s top aircraft manufacturers, supporting advanced aircraft programs for the Airbus 220 (formerly the Bombardier CSeries), Bombardier Global 7000/8000, and General Dynamics Gulfstream Aerospace G500/600.
“It was exciting work, and because of it, I was able to become a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in my field,” says Zadeh. “Fulfilling as this was, my ultimate goal was to work for NASA, so I applied at JPL and was thrilled when I landed my dream job.”
As a NASA JPL Project Configuration Manager, his duties include tailoring and implementing the institutional CM process requirements on assigned JPL flight projects and ensuring that any changes in the product baseline are identified, assessed, and approved.
Zadeh is also the Certification of Flight Readiness (CoFR) lead on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission. He coordinates with project teams to capture required CoFR artifacts that are then presented to NASA JPL institutional directors, confirming certification of the flight readiness of the JPL deliverable prior to mission launch.
Over his time with NASA, Zadeh has supported crucial missions, including SPHEREx, which studies the Big Bang theory and origins of galaxies; Sentinel 6, which is dedicated to understanding climate change; and SWOT (Surface Water Ocean and Topography), which helps to research the world’s oceans.
“All of these projects have been incredible, but my favorite so far has been SPHEREx,” says Zadeh. “It has been very gratifying to contribute to research into what happened less than a billionth of a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. I have loved the challenge of the project. My hope is that SPHEREx will give us evidence of how the first galaxies formed stars so many megaannum ago.”
Zadeh believes that no matter how long he works at NASA JPL, he will never stop marveling at the wonders of the universe, and he is committed to advancing the institution’s mission even further.
“As human beings, we often become so familiar with something that we lose our fascination for it,” he says. “The universe, however, defies that tendency. Billions of miles of space in every direction remain to be explored and understood. What will we discover tomorrow? How will that change or reinforce what we know about ourselves? Incredible answers await us if we are curious and have the spirit of explorers.”
