Alyssa Carson in an interview: "Flying the idea of ​​space was never scary to me"

Some people already know what they want to do later in the earliest childhood. Alyssa Carson is one of them. Since she was three years old, it has been clear: she wants to work in space travel. What started as a big dream is a reality today ...

It all started when the young Alyssa Carson looked at a sequence of the cartoon series "The Backyardigans" about a mission to Mars. And her father punched questions about space. When she visited her first Space Camp, she was seven years old. One of many: To this day, the American is the only person who took part in all of NASA's space camps. She continued to train, sat together with doctoral students and astronauts in discussion panels, was the youngest person who was at the Possum Space Academy, a research program by the International Institute for Astronautical, accepted and the youngest graduate of the Advanced Space Academy of the American Rocket Center.

And now, at the age of 23, she has her bachelor in astrobiology in her pocket, researches as a doctoral student in the same area at the University of Arkansas and still has the same dream as a young girl: the first astronaut on Mars. In conversation with elle.de, she tells of her way to the space industry, the NASA selection process and the fascination of the red planet ...

Alyssa Carson:There is no uniform way - you can do anything and then apply. The only requirement is a master's degree in a natural science. But an incredible number of people apply. The more special your own portfolio is, the better the chances. So I thought about: What things let me stand out from the crowd?

Alyssa Carson:At first I couldn't do much because of my age. That's why I started diving at a young age. When I was 15, I did system research and that made it possible for me to do water survival training. During the research work of a spacecy suit, I was later able to complete a microgravity flight, where you are in weightlessness for about 20 seconds. That was very exciting! This was followed by the end of the high school, flight training and the pilot's license.

Alyssa Carson:It was never a drive to be the youngest. But I think because I was fascinated by the space, I wanted to take the next steps in the past, about the age of 12. I took the industry seriously and was taken seriously because I worked hard to put my dreams into reality.

Alyssa Carson:Yes. It was always the area that interest me the most. Much has already been researched in space - we work at the international space station, were on the moon. In my head it made sense that Mars would be the next step.

Alyssa Carson:That's correct. For me personally, the idea was to fly into space, but never scary. Of course, it will always have a certain danger. But with technological progress, the space industry has become much safer. For me it is pretty calming. Especially when you know how much time and effort flow into research and construction of rockets. Security comes first.

Alyssa Carson:In research, we assume that Mars could have been much more similar in its past. It is important to find out how development has taken place today. The goal would be to explore the planet in all its depth and find out what possibilities this opens up. We have been sending Rover to Mars for over ten years. But this makes us slowly make discoveries, human research is much faster. There is also the fundamental question: Is there life outside of earth? Theories about possible earlier life on Mars have long existed.

Alyssa Carson:In my work in astrobiology, we examine the survival and growth of bacteria in the Mars's atmosphere. I think if I do research in such a area, I should at least have the assumption that there could be living somewhere. The universe is so big! It would be almost crazy if there was nothing. In our solar system there is a chance of bacterial life. And even intelligent forms of life could exist somewhere, but probably quite far away.

Alyssa Carson:The current plans of NASA missions expect a six-month travel time to get from Earth to Mars. But there are also technological developments on newer engines that could shorten the flight to six weeks. How long the astronauts would stay on Mars depends on both the mission and the orbit. Because the time of the return trip should take place when earth and Mars are closest. Ideally, this will take six months again.

Alyssa Carson:The selection process is only opened if you need people. So you always have to keep your eyes open. There are a lot of applications. Most astronauts apply several times, sometimes seven or eight times. You can be a perfect candidate and still not be taken because it is the wrong time. For example, if your own position is not sought. Or the mission demands a military or scientific background. The skills must fit exactly on the mission. The procedure goes through different stages. And then, if you have made it in the selection, you complete training sessions and may be assigned missions.

Alyssa Carson:When I was younger and took part in space camps, there were always a few other girls. I noticed the inequality more on the college - very few women studied with me in my course. And it is true that the space industry was only operated by men for a long time. That is why it will take a while for the proportion of women to caught up. Still, never have so manyWorked in space travel as today. With the astronaut's end class from NASA from 2021, the proportion of women was 42 percent. So more attention is paid to equal opportunities. And that is an exciting development - also with regard to the next generation of young girls. They grow up with the knowledge of being able to realize their dreams.

Alyssa Carson:Yes. It is a core element of my work to talk about space travel and make it more accessible. From the outside, the astronaut is often abstract and unrealistic. Even when children are interested, they exclude this career almost categorically. But talking to them about the possibilities and also emphasizing that girls are more than capable of working in this area makes a difference. Especially when I see how the children light up, inspire and later even become astronaut. That gives me an incredible amount.