Will a woman be the first person on Mars?

In the wake of NASA’s first all-female spacewalk, Alyssa Carson is the 18-year-old girl who has made it her mission to be the first person in history to set foot on Mars.

Earlier this year, you might remember that NASA had to cancel its first ever all-female spacewalk because they didn’t have two appropriately sized spacesuits, an incident which sparked outcries against sexism in a male dominated field.

However, this weekend Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history as the only women to have ventured outside of the International Space Station (ISS) without men.

‘We don’t even really think about it on a daily basis. It’s just normal. We’re part of the team. It’s really nice to see how far we’ve come,’ they said regarding the exciting milestone. ‘In the past, women haven’t always been at the table. It’s wonderful to be contributing to the space program at a time when all contributions are being accepted, when everyone has a role.’

The spacewalk, conducted in order to make an urgent repair on the ISS power system, marks a monumental occasion for women in the industry, who currently only account for roughly 10% of the people that have ever gone to space. Although there have already been over 200 spacewalks outside of the ISS, they have always been carried out by teams of two men or of one woman accompanied by a male colleague.

But times are changing. ‘For the first time in our nation’s history, an all-female crew walked in space today. It’s more than historic – it’s a reminder that for women, even the sky doesn’t have to be the limit,’ said politician Kamala Harris on Friday.

Now, NASA is making a conscious effort to reduce bias within their agency by planning to put a woman on the moon by 2024. Alyssa Carson is the teenage astronaut training to become the first human being in history to set foot on Mars.

When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969 his famous words resonated around the globe. ‘One small step for man,’ he said. ‘One giant leap for mankind.’ But Alyssa Carson is set to challenge a male-dominated industry and take a giant leap for womankind.

Carson, who has dreamed of going to Mars since she was just three years old, has spent the last decade ensuring that this becomes a reality and her dedication has certainly not gone unnoticed. As the world’s youngest astronaut in training to have graduated from the Advanced Space Academy and the only person ever to have completed the NASA passport program, she is officially certified to do a suborbital research flight and travel to space.