Alyssa Carson, the 24-year-old training to be first human to step foot on Mars since the age of 3

Elon Musk wants to land humans on Mars in the next decade. NASA also dreams of colonising the red planet. Earth is getting too hot, and to ensure the survival of the human species, experts are looking towards Mars. But who are these humans who will be sent to Mars once everything is in place? The mission would require special training, and one girl has been part of the plan for almost her entire life. Meet Alyssa Carson, the 24-year-old who has long been touted to be one of the first humans to go to Mars. She lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has dreamt of going to the Red Planet since she was three. Carson could become the first human to land on Mars. She is preparing for the mission of a lifetime and knows that it might be a one-way trip. Her NASA callsign is ‘NASA Blueberry,’ and she is currently studying for a PhD in Astrobiology. Also Read: GREAT WALL of universe: 10 billion light-years cosmic monster detected in space should not exist

Alyssa Carson dreams of becoming first human on Mars

When is this mission due? A human mission to Mars is currently scheduled for 2033, and Carson is determined to become the first to get on the spacecraft. The 24-year-old recently appeared on on the Flight Club Podcast and spoke about the importance of sending humans to Mars, and how that will change the way Earthlings look at the red planet. Carson said that after Earth, Mars is the most studied planet, and naturally becomes the next step in space exploration. "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…within the space industry, Mars is kind of like our next destination," she said. Carson stated that humans have been fascinated with the potential for life on Mars. NASA, ESA and other space agencies have landed rovers on the red planet to explore the barren land that scientists think can become our next home. Also Read: City killer asteroid can shoot meteorites like bullets at Earth in 2032. Who is at risk?

Alyssa Carson's Mars dream started at 3, and continues

Carson believes, that despite all this, “nothing can compete with the amount of information we’re able to gain once we send people to Mars.” Carson's fascination with going to Mars started at the age of three. She picked on the idea from The Backyardigans, an animated series about five adventurous animal friends. One episode showed them going on an imaginary mission to Mars. Carson turned to her father and said, “Daddy, I want to be an astronaut and go to Mars.” It wasn't a childhood dream that would fade away. She started reading books on Mars and by the age of six, she was memorising Martian maps. When her father asked her what she was doing, she replied, "When we get to Mars, I need to know where we are." At age seven, she attended her first NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Soon she became the only person to attend all three NASA Space Camps in the world: the US, Canada, and Turkey. Also Read: Red Planet ready for humans? Scientists locate potential settlement zone on Mars

By 13, Carson was speaking about Mars on TEDx talks

At the age of 11, Carson delivered her first public talk to hundreds of kids at a camp. The next year, she became the youngest panellist at a NASA-hosted Mars conference in Washington. At 13, she gave TEDx talks on Mars in Romania, Austria, and Greece. Her love for Mars brought her face-to-face with NASA administrators and scientists. At 15, in 2016, Alyssa was already training to survive in space. She was the youngest person ever accepted into the Advanced PoSSUM Academy. After graduating, she was officially certified to go to space as a research astronaut trainee. The same year, she also earned her pilot’s license. Right now, a one-way trip to Mars will take six months. Alyssa thinks that technological advancements can cut down the journey to six weeks. She has been taking part in simulations and survival training to prepare for Mars. She is sure that one day a human will step on Mars, and she wants to be the first one to do so.