This 17 Years Old Girl Is Training With NASA To Become One of the First Humans on Mars

While many of us can only dream of space travel, 17-year-old astronaut trainee Alyssa Carson is making it a reality. 

The ambitious Louisiana-based teenager has had her “heart set on the stars” ever since she was a little girl. 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.”

Staying true to her word, she’s currently undergoing rigorous training with NASA in order to become part of the first human mission to Mars in the year 2033.

Among a long list of accomplishments, Carson is the youngest person ever to graduate Advanced Space Academy. She’s also the first in the world to have completed all three NASA Space Camps (United States, Canada, and Turkey).

Furthermore, she’s the first and only person to complete the NASA Passport Program, having visited all 14 of NASA’s visitor centers located across nine U.S. states.