According to a news report published by BBC, Alyssa Carson, an ambitious 13-year-old girl from Louisiana, has been making preparations since the age of four to be on NASA's first manned expedition to Mars, currently expected to take place in 2033.

She has attended all three of the NASA's world space camps to fulfill her dream of becoming the first astronaut to land on the Red Planet. NASA's space camps give budding astronauts the opportunity to ride space flight simulators and experience zero gravity experienced by astronauts in space.

NASA spokesman Paul Carson told the BBC that they take people like Alyssa very seriously, and she's taking all the right steps to eventually become an astronaut.

Carson is also studying French, Spanish, and Chinese, while participating in non-space-related extracurricular activities like soccer and piano.

In video interview, she said, "As I get older and I continue to do more things, the resume will just eventually get longer, it will help me stand out, and it will help me look unique compared to other people".

During weekends, Carson spends her time by performing simulated missions at NASA facilities, which include landing the Mars Curiosity rover.

NASA spokesman Paul Carson told the BBC that they take people like Alyssa very seriously, and she's "taking all the right steps to eventually become an astronaut". Earlier this year, Alyssa even spoke on a NASA panel in Washington, D. C. about the future of Mars exploration. Last month, she posted a photo of her with NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden at a NASA event in New Orleans.

The teenager is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, her father; Bert Carson says he has the next 20 years of work planned out. He also mentioned that his daughter's dream could come with big sacrifices. And if she goes to Mars, she might never be able to come back to Earth.