"I want my generation to be the Mars generation!"
13-year-old Alyssa Carson aspires to be the first human to step foot on the Red Planet. She hosted a chat on "CBS This Morning's" Facebook page and fielded questions about her Mars quest.
Question: Are you prepared to sacrifice almost everything people consider normal in order to achieve your dream?
Question: What first made you want to go to Mars?
Carson: We think it was the kid show Backyardigans. The Backyardigans is a kids TV show where little creatures go in there backyard and imagine an adventure. One episode they went to Mars!
Question: What would you like /need from the general population/schools to assist you in your education?
Carson: I want more kids to dream and inspire to follow math and science because it takes 10s of 1000s of people to send an astronaut to space. I want my generation to be The Mars Generation!
Question: You've been planning your voyage to Mars since age three, Alyssa. Did you have any role models who were also astronauts when you were growing up?
Carson: Sandra Magnus, female astronaut. I met her and talked with her when I was about 9.
Question: Is NASA teaching you what to eat or not to eat ? Or is it too early for that stage?
Carson: It's too early for that.
Question: Alyssa - why do you think science is so important for young people to get involved in?
Carson: Because science is everywhere no matter where you look or what you do and it controls how we live.
Read through the full Q&A: