At the age of 19, Alyssa Carson, is one of the world’s youngest astronauts in training. She is the youngest person to graduate from the Advanced Space Academy and most likely to be one of the first humans on Mars.

A Teenager’s Journey to NASA

Alyssa is also the only person in the world to have completed every NASA space camp. On October 9, 2013, she became the first person to complete the NASA Passport Program, going to all 14 NASA Visitor Centres in the US. She is also the youngest person to graduate from the Project PoSSUM Academy, a specialised training programme for astronauts where she entered at the age of 15. This officially made her certified to go to space and an astronaut trainee.

At 18, Alyssa already had a list of accomplishments that included witnessing three Space Shuttle launches, attending Space Camp seven times, Space Academy three times, Robotics Academy once, and multiple Sally Ride Camps. In January 2013, NASA invited her to be on the MER 10 panel in Washington DC to discuss future missions to Mars live on NASA TV. She was later selected as one of the seven ambassadors representing Mars One, a mission to establish a human colony on Mars in 2030. She has also co-designed the first space luggage. 

Making An Impact

Alyssa started the Blueberry Foundation to give kids an opportunity they may not otherwise have, to inspire them to fulfil their dreams, and have fun while learning. She has also written a book, ‘So You Want to Be an Astronaut,’ a realistic guide to becoming an astronaut at a young age. She constantly encourages youngsters by referring to herself and this generation as ‘The Mars Generations.’

The journey, though, has not been an easy one. Alyssa had gone through major physical and academic training at such a young age. What kept her going was her beliefs, insatiable desire, and her deep fascination for the world beyond Earth.

Do you know of an inspirational teenager? Send your stories to the editorial team at namaste@pluskul.com.