Meet the 17-Year-Old Girl Who’s Training to Be One of the First People on Mars

“Daddy, I want to be an astronaut, and be one of the people that go to Mars.”

Meet Alyssa Carson. Ever since she was 3-years-old, she knew she wanted to be an astronaut. There’s nothing too unique about that. Most kids have grandiose dreams of growing up to be cowboys, astronauts, and everything in between. So, when she said that, her parents probably smiled and nodded, thinking that their daughter would change her mind about her future career fifteen times before choosing one, but in their case, they were wrong.

By the time Alyssa was 16, she had witnessed 3 Space Shuttle launches, attended 7 Space Camps and 3 sessions of Space Academy, and completed Robotics Academy. She’s the youngest graduate ever of Advanced Space Academy and has also finished several Sally Ride Camps.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Alyssa wasn’t done, either – she also attended space camps in Turkey and Canada, making her the first person ever to attend all three NASA Space Camps around the world.

Which is all to say…she’s not changing her mind.

And her parents aren’t the only ones who have sat up and taken notice – in 2013, NASA invited her to be on the MER 10 panel in Washington DC to discuss future missions to Mars on live NASA TV. Later, they selected her to be 1 of 7 ambassadors representing Mars One, a mission to establish a human colony on Mars by 2030.

Now, Alyssa is part of the Advanced Possum Academy, which makes her certified for space missions and an official astronaut in training.

Photo Credit: Facebook

The 17-year-old from Baton Rouge keeps up with her studies – including learning 4 languages – in addition to her astronaut training. She’s also an active public speaker and hopes to interest others in space exploration.

“Always follow your dream and don’t let anyone take it from you.”

Will we see Alyssa Carson on a manned mission to Mars in 2033? Only time will tell, but if she has anything to say about it, there doesn’t seem to be any doubt.

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July 23, 2018

This Couple Might Have to Get Divorced to Afford Their Daughter’s Healthcare Costs

Here’s a story that truly captures just how weird things can get in 2018: two happily married adults are considering a divorce just to pay for their daughter’s rising medical costs.

Jake and Maria Grey have two daughters, and the six-year-old, Brighton, was born with a rare genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. What it means is that she’s essentially still a newborn and requires round-the-clock care that is costing the family at least $15,000 a year out of pocket. Hence, they’re considering a divorce, which would mean Brighton would qualify for Medicaid and get the care she needs – for less money.

Jake is an army veteran and the couple have private insurance, but the bills are just too high. He told Today,

“It’s drowning us to try to keep up with her medical expenses. We’ve done everything we can do to try to keep her afloat, and we’re going to reach a point where we can’t do it and we won’t have another option. We don’t know what to do.”

Currently, they make “too much” for their daughter to qualify for Medicaid, but if they divorced, Maria would be a single, unemployed mother-of-two, which would mean the girls would have access to that coverage.

The Greys are happy and would otherwise not be contemplating divorce, but as every parent knows, when it comes to the kids, we do what we have to do – and Maria says they are no different:

“We promised to each other and to her that we’d do whatever we could do to make her life, however long she’s going to be with us, as good as possible.”

Good luck to them, and to all of the parents of special needs kids who are struggling out there.

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July 23, 2018

#IfYouStopAndThinkAboutIt Is Here and It’ll Really Get You Thinking

We accept a lot of things in this life without really pausing to think about them – for example, yes…Dorothy Gale killed two women because a perfect stranger told her not to give up her shoes. That’s just one example of the deep thoughts pouring out of the #IfYouStopAndThinkAboutIt tag on Twitter, and trust me…at least some of these are totally going to blow your mind.

#10. Worst couple name ever. Either way.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#9. Everyone is a hero in their own story.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#8. Now you know why you love it.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#7. Where do you think scifi movies get their ideas?

Photo Credit: Pixabay

#6. Hubba hubba.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#5. Maybe more, if you consider all the Chandler Bing’s out there.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#4. True facts.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

#3. But seriously why?

Photo Credit: Twitter

#2. A figure of speech.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#1. Double duty.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

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July 23, 2018

Your Dog Can Sniff out a Bad Person… It’s Science

Has your canine companion ever had a bad hunch about someone? We’ve never been quite sure how dogs have an innate ability to sniff out trouble… until now!

A recent study shows that dogs can and do analyze a person’s reliability!

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The researchers were out of Kyoto University in Japan, and designed a 3 part experiment that would tell them whether or not a dog would trust someone after they lied to him or her.

First, a person would point to a container with food, and the dog would go to it. Next, they would repeat the gesture, but toward a container without food. When the person who had previously lied about food pointed again, the dogs – not one of them – went to the container.

What does it prove? Well, that dogs prefer to be certain about the humans in their lives, and in the world in general, according to the Animal Cognition Journal.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

They prize reliability in people – and not only that, previous research shows that dogs will avoid or snub people who are rude to their owners. So, if your dog wants nothing to do with that new guy or girl you bring home, well…maybe you should listen.

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July 23, 2018

15 Hilarious Stock Photos of People’s Jobs That Are Too Funny Not to Share

Stock photos are all around us. They’re used in textbooks, advertisements, and boring slideshows at work. Is it just me, or is everything in a stock photo just a little bit off? According to these 15 people, I’m not alone in thinking this.

These 15 people went looking for stock photos with realistic depictions of the jobs they do every day and found…these.

#15. That pirate life.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#14. Normal browsing attire.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#13. Wildlifes.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#12. Where is space?

Photo Credit: Twitter

#11. Nailed the posture, anyway.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#10. Heart and lungs are for losers.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#9. Not creepy at all.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#8. Moody staring ftw.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#7. If my doctor held my face like that I would call the police.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#6. Truth.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#5. Much rejoicing.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#4. Feel the code.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#3. The struggle is real.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#2. Can confirm.

Photo Credit: Twitter

#1. Hypothesis supported.

Photo Credit: Twitter

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July 23, 2018

These 7 Brainteasers Take Some Serious Thought

Do you fancy yourself a master of riddles? Then you’re gonna love these seven brainteasers. But, be warned: they’re a good bit tougher than your usual head-scratchers. Have fun!

#7. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you don’t have me. What am I?

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Continue reading when you think you’ve got it!

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July 23, 2018

Memes You Need to See If You’re Attending a Wedding This Summer

It’s time for drunken drama, family fights, oh, and love, too, lots of love. That means it’s summer wedding season.

Here’s to all the folks getting hitched this summer, and to all the guests: may they have a great time. Check out these memes to get prepared for the big day.