Alyssa Carson is a space enthusiast and one of the youngest people training to be an astronaut.

Ever since she was a little girl, Alyssa Carson has had her heart set on the stars. At only 3 years old, she told her father, “Daddy, I want to be an astronaut, and be one of the people that go to Mars.” He had no idea that this seemingly offhand statement would actually become the birth of a meaningful lifelong endeavor.

At just 16 years old, she became the youngest person to have ever graduated from the Advanced Space Academy, the first person to have completed all of NASA’s seven Space Camps, and received the certification in applied astronautics. This officially makes Carson certified to do a suborbital research flight and venture into space, all before receiving her driver’s permit.

In 2012 and 2013, she furthered her education at Space Camp Turkey and Space Camp Canada, becoming the first person to attend all three NASA Space Camps in the world. Alyssa is also the first and only person so far to complete the NASA Passport program, visiting all 14 NASA Visitor’s Centers stretching across 9 states. 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.

In 2014, Carson appeared on Steve Harvey and was honored as their youngest Female Groundbreaker. She has also featured in other media around the world including BBC, CBS, Independent,NBC Nightly News, and Australian Daily Telegraph.

Alyssa was selected as one of seven ambassadors representing Mars One, an organization with the mission to establish a human colony on Mars in 2030. In October of 2016 Alyssa was the youngest to be accepted and graduate the Advanced Project PoSSUM Academy, officially making her certified to go to space and an astronaut trainee.

Carson is also the youngest applicant to International Space University. She has given multiple TED talks and wants to inspire others to follow their dreams, just as she did.

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