Kim Steadman

Kim Steadman, M.S., is a science systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.   Currently she is an Uplink Lead for the Mars 2020 Rover and the Technical Group Supervisor for the Integrated Planning and Sequencing for Surface Missions group. As a science systems engineer for Perseverance it is her job to enable science while keeping the rover safe and happy.

In her 26 year career she has worked on many missions including Mars 2020, Mars Science Laboratory, Mars Exploration Rovers, and the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn(JPL/NASA).  Her extensive background spans a wide range of operational roles. Notably, she served as the Operations Lead for the SHERLOC instrument on Mars 2020, which is integral to the Perseverance rover’s search for potential signs of ancient microbial life. Additionally, on MER and MSL, she held roles as a science planner and Uplink Lead, while on the Cassini mission, she was a mission planner, science planner, spacecraft systems engineer, and the Lead Science Planner for the Titan Science Group.

As a Technical Group Supervisor, she manages a team of approximately 20 engineers who support the operations of current surface missions at JPL.

Kim received the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for her work on the Cassini Solstice Mission.  She is also an accomplished public speaker, having delivered numerous presentations on behalf of NASA across the country.