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NASA TALK

Interview with Alyssa Carson


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NASA TALK

Interview with Alyssa Carson


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LIGANOVA | Space Travel | Business Bites @ Medium by LIGANOVA

Space Travel with the World’s Youngest Astronaut

Forward-thinking as always, our community partner Horizn recently teamed up with NASA’s Alyssa Carson, the world’s youngest astronaut, to design smart luggage for space travel.

We chatted to Alyssa about her visions of the future of travel, the thrill of zooming through space and the pioneering collaboration.

What does the future of travel look like?

I think that in the coming years, space tourism companies are really going to take off. We’ll have more and more people working in the space industry, becoming astronauts, and benefiting from space travel. Also, more people will go to space - whether that is just traveling up and coming right back down or staying on the International Space Station.

What are the major differences between space travel and regular travel?

When traveling to space there is a lot to consider. Weight is very important because although everything is weightless in space, a lot of fuel is required to push all that weight into space. The ability to be foldable and have a vacuum seal is even more important in space because you need to make the most of the space you have - and keep everything from floating around. The screen is designed to help people deal with being away from family, which can be difficult here on Earth but feels even more severe in space.

“It was amazing to work with their designers and engineers, and draw together all the features needed for space travel.”

Alyssa Carson

NASA Astronaut

What prompted the collab with Horizn?

Horizn got in touch around a year ago. They proposed the idea of making space luggage and I thought it sounded like such a cool idea. We started working together combining my knowledge of space and their knowledge of luggage to create the Horizn One. It was amazing to work with their designers and engineers, and draw together all the features needed for space travel.

Any tips for budding astronauts?

It’s important to think about what you enjoy and what kind of career you’d like to pursue on Earth. You have to have a job to become an astronaut. Figure out what area of science, math, engineering, technology, or medicine that interests you and works towards that first. Also talk about your ambitions to everyone, because you never know where an opportunity might arise. Follow your dream, never give up, and don’t let anyone take it away.

What's the story behind your nickname, Blueberry?

The second time I went to space camp in Huntsville, AL in the US I wanted one of the blue flight suits that I saw everyone wearing. However, there weren't any that fit because I was eight years old, so my dad ended up buying me an "off brand" one. It was a dark shade of blue and just not the right color; people started calling me Blueberry, and it stuck.

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