By Lauren Sarmir

Since he was 5 years old, Kody Chaney has worked on welding projects with his father in Davidsonville, Maryland. Kody and his dad help friends and family with whatever projects they can get their hands on, from repairing farm equipment, to fixing boats and racecars. Kody’s father worked in the welding industry for 40 years and Kody knew from that very young age that he would follow his father’s path. 

“I can never repay my father for all the knowledge he’s passed onto me,” Kody said. 

Now, Kody is the lead welder for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) program’s thermal control elements manufactured in Beltsville, Maryland. The radiators and cold plates that Kody and his team are welding will keep the astronauts and hardware aboard HALO safe while the outpost orbits the Moon. The work is challenging. It requires focus and high caliber work to build the radiators with minimal defects. Once work is completed, over 1,000 weld joints will have been welded onto the module. 

On Sept. 19, 2024, Kody received an award for his work on HALO from NASA and attended an award ceremony at Johnson Space Center. The Space Flight Awareness Special Local Award recognizes program employees for their dedication to quality work, flight safety and mission success; the award is only given to a few recipients nationally each year, and Kody was the only recipient from Northrop Grumman’s HALO program to receive it in 2024. 

“I was completely starstruck when I heard that I received this award. I never thought it was possible. I just come in every day and do my job, so this got me sideways. I asked, ‘Is this real?’ a few times before I knew that it was indeed real,” Kody said.

Throughout high school, Kody participated in Skills USA, a nationwide program aimed at training technical experts for tradecraft. The program holds regional, state and nationwide competitions each year and Kody placed in the top spots almost every time he competed. In his spare time, Kody returns to his high school to volunteer and teach aspiring welders in the same apprenticeship programs he attended. 

“I felt like I was fortunate enough to be given opportunities and chances to explore the aerospace industry and use my skills in a really cool way. I want kids to feel inspired to do the same and dream big,” he said. 

After Kody graduated from high school, he worked as a civilian employee for the U.S. Coast Guard, assisting in the shipyards and bases throughout the country repairing vessels of all sizes for the service. Once an opportunity came to work at Northrop Grumman, however, Kody jumped at the chance.

“My maternal grandfather served in the Air Force for 25 years, then spent 26 years with Northrop Grumman,” he said. “He was based out of the BWI facility, and I remember going to Family Day cookouts with him and taking tours of the facility. I never really thought it would be a possibility to work in aerospace, then I had the chance to work at Northrop Grumman, the pseudo-family business.”

Kody’s grandmother gave him a framed version of his grandfather’s company business card, and he still has it for inspiration. His father’s stepfather also worked at Northrop Grumman in Annapolis Junction on programs for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. As the welding team in Beltsville expanded, Kody even met an engineer who joined the team from Annapolis and worked alongside his father’s stepfather for 10 years.

“It was all meant to be – I feel like family here – I wouldn't change my job for the world,” Kody said.