This Girl Is Preparing To Become The First Human On Mars And She’s Only 17 (Update)
People have been fascinated with “the final frontier” since the dawn of the day when space travel became possible, if not before. With movies like Star Trek and Star Wars being at the peak of popularity and the global reaction to Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launch, the interest in colonization outside of our planet has never been higher. But while some of us only dream of going on a NASA mission, one girl is making it her reality.
Alyssa Carson is a 17-year-old girl from Baton Rouge, Louisiana who is on a training program to become an astronaut. Her dream is to be the first person on Mars, and she’s aiming for the 2033 Mars One mission. And the girl is surely working towards it. Being the first person to complete the NASA Passport Program by going to all 14 NASA Visitor Centers, Alyssa is also the youngest person to be accepted and graduate the Advanced Possum Academy, officially making her certified to go to space and an astronaut trainee. On top of astronaut training, she is also studying all of her school subjects in four languages (English, Chinese, French, and Spanish). “The biggest [challenge] is time and getting everything done at such a young age while also still attending high school. Continuing to train at a young age will also be further difficulties for me, but I have done great with it so far.” Alyssa told Bored Panda. As her friend mentions in the video below, Alyssa is well aware she can’t get married and start a family, however, Carson understands it and is determined to put it aside to achieve her Mars One dream.
Besides all studying and training, Carson is also a public speaker, aiming to draw interest to space exploration, as well as encourage everyone to seek their dreams. “Always follow your dream and don’t let anyone take it from you,” she says. When asked about personal inspirations, Carson said that “All astronauts, especially women astronauts as they have made the road for me to follow” inspire her.
Update (07/29/18): The article previously stated that Alyssa Carson is being trained in NASA space camp, which is incorrect. We have since corrected the information and apologize for the confusion.
More info: nasablueberry | Instagram | Facebook
Meet Alyssa Carson, a 17-year-old girl from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Despite her young age, she is training to become an astronaut
She aims to be part of the first human mission to Mars on 2033
The mission is part of the effort to establish a human colony on Mars, that could one day save our species
Alyssa first thought of going to Mars when she was 3, after seeing the TV show “The Backyardigans”
Ever since then Carson has been working hard to achieve her goals
In 2008, Bert Carson, her father, enrolled her in the United States Space Camp
She quickly became the first person to visit all three NASA Space Camps
Five years later, Alyssa was the first person to complete the NASA Passport Program by going to all 14 NASA Visitor Centers
Carson is also the youngest person to be accepted and graduate the Advanced Possum Academy
Which officially makes her certified to go to space and an astronaut trainee
With incredibly demanding astronaut training, Alyssa also studies all her school subjects in 4 languages
While not being able to apply to be an astronaut until she turns 18, Carson is the youngest applicant to International Space University
“The biggest [challenge] is time and getting everything done at such a young age” Alyssa told Bored Panda
Alyssa started “Blueberry Foundation”, named after her call sign Blueberry
That’s aiming to encourage kids to seek their dreams and give opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have
As well as draw interest to space travel and her mission
“Always follow your dream and don’t let anyone take it from you,” Alyssa says
As her friend mentions in the video below, Alyssa is well aware she can’t get married and start a family
However, Carson understands it and is determined to put it aside in order to achieve her dream
Watch the video below to see Alyssa’s journey and goals
It would take hundreds of years to create a habitable environment on Mars. And beside that, we do not deserve to colonize Mars or any other planet, after destroying this one. We should first clean our backyard, then we can go and play somewhere else.
Every sci fi movie has the invading aliens as the horrible bad guys. We treat anything on our own planet that can't fight us as something we can dominate, so we'd be the asshole aliens. Way to go, humanity.
Agreed. Humans represent only 0.1% of mammals on this planet, but we endangered more than 60% of other species. By the year 2050, there will be more trash in oceans than marine life. It's scary how fast we are destroying everything we put our hands on.
o.o We are the alien invasion....
🙌🙌🙌🎤
Because movies are real.
Why not both? Science isn't a vacuum. If some tiny pocket of workers and thinkers are out there, trying to figure out how to terraform an entire planet, don't you think the results of their work would help us figure out how to fix ours?
Ok. This isn’t Star Trek. We can’t terraform anything, our changes to this planet have been driven by consumption and overuse of resources. The changes in our world are not the result of us knowingly making it better, but extracting resources.
Doodlebug, there are some documentaries on possible ways to terraform a planet, but it would take so much resources from this planet, time and effort, there would be little to nothing left for our planet. With this ongoing process of switching to renewable energy while trying to suppress consequences of global warming as much as possible (for instance, the amount of ice melting on Antarctica has tripled since 2010 and is increasing constantly), there is just not enough resources. And also, I think that if we find at least a tiny bit of hope of terraforming another planet, we would simply stop trying to save this one.
Harsh but true. But they've said it before, right? If we can't save the Earth, we'll need a backup place.
Mars is dead. We can do anything we want to it. Life comes first.
Is it? We have no definite proof that there is no life on Mars. Maybe there is. We are far better off on a moral level colonizing Venus.
What's so destroyed about this one? Seems pretty liveable, beautiful even, to me. Who are you to decide whether we can colonize?
r3dd3v1IL Most endangered species today are endangered thanks to humans, their natural habitats are lost due to both industrialization and urbanization. Also, take palm oil trend for instance: huge tracts of rainforest in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa are being bulldozed or torched to make room for more plantations, releasing huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Palm oil-based biofuels actually have much stronger impact compared to traditional fossil fuels. And this is still fresh. And the worst part? Palm oil is not even healthy and it is found almost in everything. So, in conclusion, we will go extinct too, but we'll sure as hell try our best to destroy everything on the way.
r3dd3v1IL You've got to be kidding me. Do a bit of research before starting a debate. I'm not a person in charge, I'm only stating my opinion, just like you. The only difference between you and me is that I've been reading and keeping up with the levels of pollution, deforestation and the constantly increasing number of endangered species on our planet for years now.
"The mission is part of the effort to establish a human colony on Mars, that could one day save our species" If our species needs saving, it will be because our planet doesn't support life anymore.
Btw, your garbage nonsense post about “believing” global warming is just smug apologist garbage thinking. You are embarrassing yourself at this point
Cripes. Get woke, ffs
@Nanni 17 Most species that ever existed are extinct by now. It's life. Perhaps one day humans will also cease to exist. I'm opposed to claiming that global warming or most species not existing anymore is somehow mankind's fault. Did the dinosaurs go to endangered and extinct due to humans? Was the last ice age caused by humans not burning enough wood? P.S. I'll give you excessive hunting is harmful and we are at fault for the extinction of some species of whales. But global warming? Please. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0aFPXr4n4
I like how everyone is commenting on this... using computer. Sitting on a chair certainly not made of dirt. In a house that's not a natural cave. I'm not saying it's bad, because it's what we need to strive (the basic aim of any species). But don't forget: the enemy here is not Humanity. It's ourselves on an individual level.
So true. Finally someone talks some sense.
I can't agree more!
Earth will get over it quite rapidly once we've finally ended ourselves, don't worry. We are just on tiny ridiculously short-lived annoyance, nothing more.
we should have already been on mars.
This tops a list of things I really don't want to do, thanks.
The sheer ineptitude of this article. More like the poor kid is "suicidal" and "delusional". Sometimes being in the front just means you're the first to die. Follow your dreams is one of the worst advice ever coming from a kid who does not support herself. It's a bit inspiring she goes to space camps but she will turn 18 soon, become an adult and have to financially support herself and live in the real world – then again, posing photos for social media is way easier!
Or it could mean your the first to do that thing. Anyway the first crew of Mars did die atleast they died for a good cause
Why the "She can't get married, she can't have kids." in the title on the front page? So old-fashioned ... That girl is living her dream and doing her utmost to advance technology. I think she's very brave and commendable for taking up this challenge.
Exactly, if this article was about a guy, the title would be something else completely
If it was a guy, it wouldn't have rated an article.
If this article was about a guy it would say the same. This is a colonization mission it’s a one way trip to mars. Anybody that goes would have to leave any family they have behind and never see them again and who would want that.
When I read it at first I though she was ill and that's why she can't have kids and decided to go to space.
They changed the topic was very sexist, like the rest of world.
Also, when she arrives at Mars to 'colonize' it, she will be expected to have children after all.
She will not be colonizing it, she will be getting it ready for other people to colonize. Her mission is to set it up, not populate it.
It would take hundreds of years to create a habitable environment on Mars. And beside that, we do not deserve to colonize Mars or any other planet, after destroying this one. We should first clean our backyard, then we can go and play somewhere else.
Every sci fi movie has the invading aliens as the horrible bad guys. We treat anything on our own planet that can't fight us as something we can dominate, so we'd be the asshole aliens. Way to go, humanity.
Agreed. Humans represent only 0.1% of mammals on this planet, but we endangered more than 60% of other species. By the year 2050, there will be more trash in oceans than marine life. It's scary how fast we are destroying everything we put our hands on.
o.o We are the alien invasion....
🙌🙌🙌🎤
Because movies are real.
Why not both? Science isn't a vacuum. If some tiny pocket of workers and thinkers are out there, trying to figure out how to terraform an entire planet, don't you think the results of their work would help us figure out how to fix ours?
Ok. This isn’t Star Trek. We can’t terraform anything, our changes to this planet have been driven by consumption and overuse of resources. The changes in our world are not the result of us knowingly making it better, but extracting resources.
Doodlebug, there are some documentaries on possible ways to terraform a planet, but it would take so much resources from this planet, time and effort, there would be little to nothing left for our planet. With this ongoing process of switching to renewable energy while trying to suppress consequences of global warming as much as possible (for instance, the amount of ice melting on Antarctica has tripled since 2010 and is increasing constantly), there is just not enough resources. And also, I think that if we find at least a tiny bit of hope of terraforming another planet, we would simply stop trying to save this one.
Harsh but true. But they've said it before, right? If we can't save the Earth, we'll need a backup place.
Mars is dead. We can do anything we want to it. Life comes first.
Is it? We have no definite proof that there is no life on Mars. Maybe there is. We are far better off on a moral level colonizing Venus.
What's so destroyed about this one? Seems pretty liveable, beautiful even, to me. Who are you to decide whether we can colonize?
r3dd3v1IL Most endangered species today are endangered thanks to humans, their natural habitats are lost due to both industrialization and urbanization. Also, take palm oil trend for instance: huge tracts of rainforest in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa are being bulldozed or torched to make room for more plantations, releasing huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Palm oil-based biofuels actually have much stronger impact compared to traditional fossil fuels. And this is still fresh. And the worst part? Palm oil is not even healthy and it is found almost in everything. So, in conclusion, we will go extinct too, but we'll sure as hell try our best to destroy everything on the way.
r3dd3v1IL You've got to be kidding me. Do a bit of research before starting a debate. I'm not a person in charge, I'm only stating my opinion, just like you. The only difference between you and me is that I've been reading and keeping up with the levels of pollution, deforestation and the constantly increasing number of endangered species on our planet for years now.
"The mission is part of the effort to establish a human colony on Mars, that could one day save our species" If our species needs saving, it will be because our planet doesn't support life anymore.
Btw, your garbage nonsense post about “believing” global warming is just smug apologist garbage thinking. You are embarrassing yourself at this point
Cripes. Get woke, ffs
@Nanni 17 Most species that ever existed are extinct by now. It's life. Perhaps one day humans will also cease to exist. I'm opposed to claiming that global warming or most species not existing anymore is somehow mankind's fault. Did the dinosaurs go to endangered and extinct due to humans? Was the last ice age caused by humans not burning enough wood? P.S. I'll give you excessive hunting is harmful and we are at fault for the extinction of some species of whales. But global warming? Please. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0aFPXr4n4
I like how everyone is commenting on this... using computer. Sitting on a chair certainly not made of dirt. In a house that's not a natural cave. I'm not saying it's bad, because it's what we need to strive (the basic aim of any species). But don't forget: the enemy here is not Humanity. It's ourselves on an individual level.
So true. Finally someone talks some sense.
I can't agree more!
Earth will get over it quite rapidly once we've finally ended ourselves, don't worry. We are just on tiny ridiculously short-lived annoyance, nothing more.
we should have already been on mars.
This tops a list of things I really don't want to do, thanks.
The sheer ineptitude of this article. More like the poor kid is "suicidal" and "delusional". Sometimes being in the front just means you're the first to die. Follow your dreams is one of the worst advice ever coming from a kid who does not support herself. It's a bit inspiring she goes to space camps but she will turn 18 soon, become an adult and have to financially support herself and live in the real world – then again, posing photos for social media is way easier!
Or it could mean your the first to do that thing. Anyway the first crew of Mars did die atleast they died for a good cause
Why the "She can't get married, she can't have kids." in the title on the front page? So old-fashioned ... That girl is living her dream and doing her utmost to advance technology. I think she's very brave and commendable for taking up this challenge.
Exactly, if this article was about a guy, the title would be something else completely
If it was a guy, it wouldn't have rated an article.
If this article was about a guy it would say the same. This is a colonization mission it’s a one way trip to mars. Anybody that goes would have to leave any family they have behind and never see them again and who would want that.
When I read it at first I though she was ill and that's why she can't have kids and decided to go to space.
They changed the topic was very sexist, like the rest of world.
Also, when she arrives at Mars to 'colonize' it, she will be expected to have children after all.
She will not be colonizing it, she will be getting it ready for other people to colonize. Her mission is to set it up, not populate it.