Alyssa Carson
Alyssa Carson in 2015
Alyssa Carson in 2015
Born (2001-03-10) March 10, 2001
Hammond, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationEmbry–Riddle Aeronautical University
Florida Institute of Technology
University of Arkansas
OccupationStudent
Websitenasablueberry.com

Alyssa Carson (born March 10, 2001) is an American space enthusiast and doctoral student who has attended numerous space camps and has visited every NASA visitor center.[1] She has been profiled by a variety of news outlets, public interest publications, and interview shows as an unofficial astronaut-in-training.

Early life and education

Carson was born on March 10, 2001, in Hammond, Louisiana.[2] She graduated from Baton Rouge International School, a pre-school through 12th grade private school, in 2019.

Carson attended her first space camp in Huntsville, Alabama at age seven and went on to attend six more.[3][4] She remains the only person to attend every NASA space camp offered including those in Turkey and Canada.[5][6] She also attended a Sally Ride Summer Camp at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.[7]

Her "NASA Blueberry" branding used on her website and social media platforms is based on the call sign she selected at space camp.[3][8]

At 16, she participated in the Advanced PoSSUM (Project Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) Space Academy.[9] At 18, Carson earned her pilot's license.[10] Her training has also included water survival, g force training, micro gravity flights, obtaining scuba certification, and decompression training.[11][12]

Carson attended classes focused on space physiology at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.[13] As of 2023, she received her bachelor's degree in astrobiology from the Florida Institute of Technology. She is currently enrolled at the University of Arkansas where she is pursuing a PhD in Space and Planetary Science.

Desire to be an astronaut

In 2013, Carson was the first person to complete the "NASA Passport Program" visiting each of NASA's fourteen visitor centers across nine states. She was then invited to be a panelist at the MER (Mars Exploration Rover) 10 Panel at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.[14] In she was featured as the Youngest Female Groundbreaker on the Steve Harvey talk show. She was featured in the 2017 documentary The Mars Generation.[15][16]

Carson self-published So, You Want to Be an Astronaut (2018)[17] about her passion for space flight, and has written for The Independent.[18]

While frequently described by the media as an "astronaut in training",[19][10] Carson is not affiliated with any national space program.[20][21] NASA has publicly stated that the organization "has no official ties to Alyssa Carson",[21] and separately that "although Ms. Carson uses ‘NASA' in her website name and Twitter and Instagram handles, we’re not affiliated at all."[22] In 2019 Newsweek corrected a headline that had implied that Carson's training was affiliated with NASA.[9] Snopes.com also has dedicated a page to clarify such claims, which says: "Carson is not in training with—or being prepped by—NASA to become an astronaut, or to take part in the first human mission to Mars."[23]

In 2019, Carson appeared on an episode of Ryan's Mystery Playdate.[24] She is also frequently interviewed to discuss her childhood goal of becoming an astronaut and traveling to Mars.[19][10] She has been involved with several space-related products, including "space luggage" designed by Horizn Studios, and participated in testing Final Frontier Design's spacesuit for the Canadian Space Agency headquarters.[25][26] She promotes footwear for Nike and home appliances for SodaStream.[27]

Awards

In 2017, Carson was named one of nine Louisiana Young Heroes, an award given to exceptional high school students by Louisiana Public Broadcasting.[28] In 2019, she received the LSU Women's Center Esprit de Femme Award, and is the youngest recipient of the award to date.[29] She was honored by Louisiana Life magazine as a 2020 Louisianan of the Year in the science category.[30] In 2022, she received the Florida Institute of Technology's Student Catalyst Award, highlighting women's participation and development in the school's community.[31]

Bibliography

  • So You Want to Be an Astronaut. 2018. ISBN 978-1-7313-5794-6. OCLC 1100540053.

References

  1. ↑ Branton, Vicky. "Back to school and beyond". The Daily Iberian. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ Puterman, Shari (July 12, 2018). "Louisiana teen might be flying to Mars". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Krueger, Alyson (March 21, 2018). "This 17-Year-Old Is Already Training for a Trip to Mars". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ CBS News (October 3, 2014). "Teen trying to make an out-of-this-world dream a reality". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  5. ↑ Secon, Holly. "A 19-year-old aspiring astronaut is the only person who's attended every space camp. She's already positioning herself for a mission to Mars". Business Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ Curtis, Cara (July 26, 2019). "[Best of 2019] Meet Alyssa Carson, the 18-year-old training to become the first human on Mars". The Next Web. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Alyssa Carson - Ambassadors - About Mars One". Mars One. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ DeMoss, Nick (March 12, 2020). "Future Mars Astronaut Visits Engineering Class". University of Arkansas News. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  9. 1 2 McCall, Rosie (October 17, 2019). "Alyssa Carson, the 18-year-old astronaut-in-training, would "consider" permanently relocating to Mars". Newsweek. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 McLellan, Shannon (January 31, 2020). "World's youngest astronaut-in-training is part of Super Bowl ad". Good Morning America. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Q&A with Alyssa Carson". The Design Museum. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  12. ↑ Davidson, Emma Elizabeth (July 23, 2019). "Alyssa Carson is the 18-year-old astronaut making Mars her mission". Dazed. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  13. ↑ Lowery, Chris (February 23, 2018). "Could Baton Rouge teen Alyssa Carson end up on the first human mission to Mars?". The Advocate. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  14. ↑ Biddlecombe, Sarah (October 16, 2019). "Mars mission: astronaut Alyssa Carson on flying to Mars". Stylist. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  15. ↑ Petski, Denise (June 25, 2015). "Morgan Neville And Znak&Jones Partner On 'The Mars Generation'". Deadline. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  16. ↑ "The First Human On Mars: Who Is 17 Year-Old Alyssa Carson? - Page 7". buzznet. July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  17. ↑ McCord, Brooke (September 25, 2019). "Meet your martian". The Face. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  18. ↑ Carson, Alyssa (July 21, 2019). "The moon landing means everything to me as someone who wants to be the first person on Mars". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  19. 1 2 Krueger, Alyson (March 21, 2018). "This 17-Year-Old Is Already Training for a Trip to Mars". Teen Vogue.
  20. ↑ "Is NASA Training a 17-Year-Old Girl to Be an Astronaut?". Snopes.com.
  21. 1 2 Passaro, Passaro (July 20, 2018). "Is NASA prepping a 17 year old to become first human on Mars?". PolitiFact. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  22. ↑ Lybrand, Holmes (July 23, 2018). "Fact Check: Is NASA 'Preparing This [Teenage] Girl To Become The First Human On Mars'?". Washington Examiner. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Is NASA Training a 17-Year-Old Girl to Be an Astronaut?". Snopes.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  24. ↑ Knox, David (September 15, 2019). "Airdate: Ryan's Mystery Playdate | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  25. ↑ Santora, Sara (December 1, 2019). "Life on Mars? An interview with Alyssa Carson". Space Coast Living Magazine. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  26. ↑ Jaramillo, Antonia (November 26, 2019). "The girl who dreams to live on Mars". Florida Today. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  27. ↑ Stanley, T.L. (January 30, 2020). "Inside SodaStream's Epic Super Bowl Ad About Water on Mars". Adweek. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  28. ↑ "2017 Young Heroes". Louisiana Public Broadcasting. March 19, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  29. ↑ Frost, Peter (March 29, 2019). "Alyssa Carson Receives the LSU Women's Center Esprit De Femme Award". Dig Baton Rouge. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  30. ↑ DiPiazza, Dana (February 7, 2020). "Joe Burrow makes 2020 'Louisianians of the Year' list". WBRZ. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  31. ↑ Lowenstein, Adam (February 26, 2022). "Florida Tech to Honor Amazing Women During Inspiring Success & Excellence Awards March 3". Space Coast Daily. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
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