Meet Alyssa Carson, the “astronaut in training” who really has no connection to NASA | Science

One of Alyssa Carson’s biggest dreams is to be able to set foot on Mars and be a woman. This 23-year-old girl, for exactly a decade, has been in international news, given that many newspapers named her “astronaut apprentice” and “astronaut in training”, by publishing false news about an alleged link with NASA; However, this institution denied everything. In this note, she knows who Carson is and what NASA said.

Who is Alyssa Carson, the young prodigy who loves science and astronomy?

Alyssa Carson, born on March 10, 2001, is a young woman who dreams of stepping on Mars and has become a inspiring figure for a new generation of aspiring female astronauts. At 23 years old, Carson has not only captured the attention of the scientific community, he has also motivated thousands of young people to follow their own interplanetary dreams and redefining what it means to ‘reach for the stars.’

At three years old, Carson watched an episode of The Backyardigans called ‘Mission to Mars.’ It is incredible, but that’s how it happened, that at that age he projected himself as an astronaut in the future.

Since that moment, her father Bert Carson has accompanied her to different events and space camps, which led to increasing her knowledge of what is happening outside the Earth. In 2013, demonstrating an unwavering passion for space, Alyssa became the first teenager to complete the ‘NASA Passport Program,’ after visiting all 14 visitor centers in nine states.

NASA denies Alyssa Carson’s link to a mission to Mars

In itself, NASA has not yet planned a manned mission to visit Mars, much less a date, as was speculated in newspapers that it would be in 2033. Likewise, it has stated that there is no official link nor is it associated with a national space program. .

Carson uses ‘NASA’ in her website name and Twitter and Instagram handles, but Carson is not prepared by NASA to become an astronaut. “We are not associated at all,” the institution explained.

Why isn’t Alyssa part of NASA?

The young woman, who has a bachelor’s degree in Astrobiology from the Florida Institute of Technology and is a PhD candidate in Philosophy in the Department of Biology at the University of Arkansas, is a great space and Mars enthusiast; However, she has not yet taken any program to be an astronaut. In addition, to be part of NASA you must obtain requirements such as becoming a pilot, adding a thousand hours of experience in propulsion aircraft, having a university degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, biology or physics, and you must prove three years of professional experience.

Passion for space and achievements

At 23 years old, he has achieved the following recognitions, due to his discipline and perseverance in obtaining more knowledge and training as an astronaut.

• It had a space in the British newspaper ‘The Independent’
• He published the book he authored: ‘Ready For Liftoff: Becoming an Astronaut of the Mars Generation’
• She was named one of the ‘Young Heroes of Louisiana’
• She received the ‘Esprit de Femme’ award from the Louisiana State University Women’s Center.

Despite not yet being part of NASA and not yet being an astronaut, this young scientist is an example for women and astronomy students. With the progress she has made at her young age, perhaps in some soon future this institution can invite her on a trip as a space tourist; however, this is still fiction.