Story Content

The inspiration of many people is the story of Alyssa Carson (born March 10, 2001, also known as NASA Blueberry), who has an undying dream: to be among the first humans visiting Mars. She has been attempting training as an astronaut since the age of 3, becoming the youngest ever attendee in NASA's Passport to Explore Space program, then completing other advanced space schools such as PoSSUM at the age of 15, earning a bachelor's in astrobiology at Florida Tech (2023), and currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Arkansas (expected 2028). She is a science communicator and influencer (Instagram/YouTube name NASablueberry ) and speaks regularly on Mars exploration, Artemis, and future missions.

The viral posts of early 2026 (and repeated since 2021) discuss that Alyssa is about to become the first human on Mars, and she will not come back to Earth, with captions such as "She can't get married, can't have kids or one-way trip sacrifice." These indicate that she is selected to be taken to Mars on a long-term program, possibly by NASA or some commercial players, such as SpaceX/Mars One.

The Reality Check: This is untrue as well as deceptive. Several fact-checks in Reuters (2021), USA Today (2021), Snopes (2024), and AFP all back it up:

NASA, ESA, SpaceX, or any of the agencies have not chosen Alyssa to join any of the missions to Mars.

She bears no official connection with NASA that runs beyond educational outreach: she is not under their astronaut candidate program.

Human Mars missions (planned for the 2030s) have not yet named the crew, though they are intended to be crewed (SpaceX plans to have an uncrewed initial mission, but not before 2035).

There is no confirmed single-crewed plan for Mars. NASA is envisaging round-trip missions; preliminary proposals (such as Mars One, which has since collapsed) have been made that consider a one-way trip to the colony but present schemes that are much more focused on the return trip.

Alyssa herself has commented she would prefer to go back but would look at spending a long stay or permanently, should it be necessary to the success of the mission. In interviews (e.g., UNILAD Jan 2026), she talks about the actual issues, radiation, propulsion/time delays (6 9-month journeys), life support, mental impacts, and landing/habitat technology, but she feels the progress will be made through Artemis Moon missions as stepping stones.

Her clicks-readiness and clicks-mission status are the typical exaggerations applied to the viral story, and her uplifting journey transforms into misinformation. It has not been proven that Alyssa is a proven pioneer of Mars, so she is still a role model for youth in STEM, with the emphasis on education, research, and advocacy.

Her story makes us remember: Mars dreams exist, but the solution of any human expedition is still years away, and a retreat trip is the standard of survival.