Why this 24-year-old could be the first person ever to step foot on Mars
One of the first people to step foot on Mars could actually be one of NASA's youngest ever astronauts, as while Alyssa Carson is currently 'just' in her twenties, she has been planning for a trip into outer space ever since she was just three.
Mars is undoubtedly the next big thing for both NASA and many of the most influential private space agencies across the world, and steps are continually being taken in order to advance our progress towards the red planet.
Elon Musk in particular has made it clear how important Mars is for his goals at SpaceX, and he's insisted for years the colonization is not only something they want to strive towards, but that it's an inevitability for the survival of the human race.
NASA have very much followed suit when it comes to their efforts to get life on Mars, and are currently running several programs to experiment with and test the viability of human life on the nearby planet, but one of the key voices from the government agency in regard to Mars is just 24 years-old.
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Alyssa Carson, otherwise known by her call sign 'NASA Blueberry', is not only one of the youngest faces in the space agency but also one of the leading figures when it comes to exploration of Mars - and that could lead her to be the first person to ever set foot on the planet.
She's currently 24 years old but her dreams first began at age 3, when she saw a cartoon that sparked her brain to begin dreaming of space travel.
As revealed by ShareAmerica, Carson has undergone a number countless training sessions and preparations for becoming an astronaut, and is currently studying a PhD in astrobiology which would be invaluable during a hypothetical trip to Mars.
Speaking on the Flight Club Podcast, Carson explained why it's so vital for humans to eventually explore Mars:
"I think that we've always been interested in Mars, in fact next to Earth Mars is our most studied planet [...] I think with the natural progression and stepping stones within the space industry, Mars is kind of like our next destination. We could go the other way to Venus but Venus is kind of hot and horrible, so we're going to go the other way to Mars which is a little bit more inviting to send people to.
"Also the potential of life, especially in my area of interest within astrobiology, but the potential for life on Mars has been a huge question that we've had for so long and whether Mars used to have life or still has life is still up in the air, but Rovers and satellites and all the research that we've gathered so far is really really great, but nothing can compete with the amount of information we're able to gain once we send people to Mars."
Actually getting astronauts to the planet is currently the biggest challenge though, as not only will you have to wait for the orbits of Mars and Earth to line up, but current NASA technology estimates that it would take around six months to get to the planet, which significantly limits how long astronauts can stay there.
We've already seen what extended stays in space can do to the health of astronauts following the return of those stranded on the International Space Station, so sending people to visit Mars for a year at minimum would be a real challenge right now.
Carson does indicate that technology is currently advancing and projections indicate that the travel time could be reduced to as low as six weeks, but it's unclear how far off that is right now.