Not many teenagers like Alyssa Carson from Baton Rouge in the US state of Louisiana can be found. At the age of 18, she is the youngest astronaut in the world and already has three TEDx Talks under her space belt. Carson is also partnering with Horizn Studios, the Berlin travel brand, to help create the world's first space luggage line, as well as a limited-edition smart suitcase that will be released on July 19th to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. If she continues in this vein, this child prodigy will be the first person to land on Mars.
This is a hobby from early childhood.
Carson turned her gaze into space when she was only 3 years old after watching "Backyard" - a cartoon about a group of friends who went on imaginary adventures. “They had an episode called“ Mission to Mars, ”and they asked questions about space, about Mars, about whether there are people on this planet,” says Alyssa. Although her family is not related to science, they supported her curiosity. “My dad remembers how I came and asked him questions about space and Mars. He told me a little about the moon landings, and this aroused interest. ”
Cosmonaut camps she liked
After Father Carson took her to the cosmonaut camp for the first time, when she was 7 years old, she was seriously carried away by this topic. The girl visited 19 space camps, including places such as Turkey and Canada, and is the only person to complete the NASA passport program by visiting all 14 sites in nine states of America.
“The space camp was the best opportunity for me to learn more about space and to take more part in training,” she says. “I had to ride simulations, complete simulated missions, create rocket models and study robotics and aviation.”
Carson's passion led her to a good result. When she was 12 years old, NASA invited her to discuss future missions to Mars at the 10th meeting of the MER (Mars Exploration Rovers) in Washington, DC. At 13, she made her first TEDx Talk in Greece.
The youngest astronaut girl
At the age of 15, Carson became the youngest of those who were accepted into the prestigious Space Academy Advanced PoSSUM, where she received a certificate in applied cosmonautics, which officially granted her the right to perform a suborbital research flight and spacewalk. She also scored impressive social media results: over 136,000 Instagram followers (@nasablueberry) and over 83,000 on Facebook with the same nickname.
Space Suitcase
Therefore, when Horizn Studios was looking for the development of Horizn ONE - the world's first suitcase for space travel, it is not surprising that the company invited Alyssa to collaborate with their designers and engineers. “They know a lot about luggage, and I know about space, so it’s not a coincidence when we talk together about the future and space tourism,” says Carson, who used her knowledge of astronautics and scientific experience to develop visual prototypes. This first-class suitcase is very lightweight, has a vacuum seal for maximum capacity, folds up, cleans laundry and even comes with a smart screen that will allow visitors on Mars to stream video and call back home.
“This is an ideal futuristic suitcase designed for space tourism and business flights, as soon as we begin to launch the general public into space,” the girl says.But you have to wait to buy the first copies of the Horizn ONE line, which will be ready by about 2030 - just in time for the first missions to Mars, scheduled for 2033. And you need a lot of money. Horizn predicts that a space suitcase will cost more than $ 50,000, although the company notes that this is a relatively lucrative deal (given that flying to the International Space Station with NASA costs over $ 46 million).
One instance already released
Meanwhile, Horizn is releasing Carson's first creation to the general public - the NASA's Limited Cabin Trolley Edition, which is a budget price tag of $ 810. An intelligent charger, 360-degree wheels and a rigid body made of aerospace-grade polycarbonate are built into the suitcase. It is made in the style of "Apollo 11" and has orange and blue color accents, similar to the shape of astronauts. The suitcase received the seal of approval by NASA and has an official logo. Its owners will also receive a year of free access to Horizn GO, a personal travel planning assistant.
But what does the child prodigy do after creating the world's first space baggage? Carson graduated from high school in May and headed to Florida to study astrobiology and continue to plan her mission to Mars. She is also happy to inspire other young people who want to reach the stars. “Whatever your dream, no matter how crazy it may seem, you must follow it,” Carson says.