Women of NASA with Sarah Milkovich, Trina Ray & Kim Steadman

Sarah Milkovich, Trina Ray and Kim Steadman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory describe how each of them came into the space industry and their work on current missions, including the Mars 2020 rover. They discuss how space technology is developing, give their predictions for the future and share favourite moments from their careers.

Episode notes

In this episode, Francis talks with the “women of NASA,” Sarah Milkovich, Trina Ray, and Kim Steadman. Sarah leads science operations for the Mars 2020 Rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Rover is investigating the possibility of past life on Mars and preserving biosignatures within accessible geological materials; Trina is an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a 33-year veteran of space missions; and Kim is a system engineer for the Mars 2020 Rover and the operations lead for the SHERLOC instrument. Together, they recall their individual journey’s into the industry, and delve into their current mission; discuss the development of technology in space travel, and give their predictions for the future; and share anecdotes from their time in the industry, giving us an insight into their favourite moments.

Read the written interview from this episode on francishellyer.com, published 4 June 2023.