Alyssa Carson (born March 10, 2001) is an American social media influencer and space enthusiast known for her ambition from a young age to be the first person on Mars.

[3][4] She remains the only person to attend every NASA space camp offered including those in Turkey and Canada.

[12] She told Teen Vogue she always thought she would, "become an astronaut, go to Mars, come back, and then be a teacher or the president.

[15] In 2022, she received the Florida Institute of Technology's Student Catalyst Award, highlighting women's participation and development in the school's community.

[16] She is a Doctor of Philosophy candidate at the University of Arkansas in the biology department under Timothy Kral.

She was then invited to be a panelist at the MER (Mars Exploration Rover) 10 Panel at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

[2] While frequently described by the media as an "astronaut in training",[24][25] Carson is not affiliated with any national space program.

[9] Snopes also has dedicated a page to clarify such claims, which says: "Carson is not in training with—or being prepped by—NASA to become an astronaut, or to take part in the first human mission to Mars.