At the age of three, Alyssa Carson was watching an episode of the Nickelodeon show 'The Backyardigans', in which the characters went on a mission to Mars. It was at this moment that Alyssa knew what she wanted to do with her life.
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Whilst many of us may have dreamt of becoming astronauts when we were younger, Alyssa is truly special in that ever since that moment she has been doing everything she can to make that dream a reality.
At the age of seven she visited space camp for the first time and has since become the first person to visit all three NASA space camps in Alabama, Quebec and Turkey.
In 2016 she became the youngest person to graduate from the Advanced Possum Academy, which certifies her to go to space and makes her an astronaut trainee.
Busy schedule
Between astronaut training, Alyssa is still a normal high-schooler who has to study like anyone else. In her studies, she's also outstanding. Alyssa attends an International School and studies all of her subjects in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.
Alyssa is also a public speaker and has started her own foundation called The Blueberry Foundation to encourage and support other young people to follow their dreams.
She's also appeared in a movie, 'The Mars Generation', which was screened at Sundance Film Festival 2017.
A mission with no return
Alyssa's goal is to be one of the astronauts who takes part in NASA's 2033 Mars mission - which will be a first step towards establishing a human colony on Mars.
As it will be the first mission of its kind, this journey is sure to be dangerous and it may be that it is a one-way trip.
Alyssa is so committed to her dream that she still wants to go - even if it means never coming back. This means making a lot of sacrifices in her life - she has accepted that she won't be able to get married or start a family.
Throughout her journey towards becoming an astronaut, Alyssa's father Bret has always been her number one supporter. But it also means that he has to live with the heart-breaking knowledge that his remaining time with his daughter is likely to be limited.
Back in 2014, he said, 'In 20 years I may not ever see her again, there are options out there where they go to Mars and not come back, and we’ve had those discussions, and if that’s the only option she still wants to go.'
Alyssa herself is clearly incredibly determined and puts it quite simply, she won't let anything get in her way of going to Mars because 'failure is not an option.'
