Alysaa Carson is a 17-year-old girl. She dreams of going to Mars. She was first interested in becoming an astronaut at the age of three. At that time, she was watching a cartoon called The Backyardigans. The characters in the cartoon went to Mars many times for different tasks. She also wanted to be one of them.

After knowing the serious pollution and the large population on Earth. Alyssa thinks people may look for another planet to live on in the future. She thinks humans may choose to live on Mars in the future. That’s because it’s a planet similar to the earth in some aspects (方面). What’s more, people will be able to use the technologies to get there at that time. Alyssa dreams of going to Mars and working in the field of astrobiology (天体生物学).

Her father believes that parents should help children achieve their dreams. He thinks that it doesn’t matter if the dreams change a lot or how crazy they are. And he doesn’t think it’s too young to get a pilot’s license (执照) for a 17-year-old girl. Perhaps it’s very dangerous for his daughter to go to Mars. But he believes that she can achieve her dream one day. What he can do is to let his daughter work hard for her dream.

Wang Yaping, together with Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, went into space aboard the Shenzhou XIII on October 16th last year. And now they are preparing for their return trip in the middle of April, 2022. The 41-year-old Wang became the first female astronaut (女航天员) to enter Tiangong space station. She also became a space teacher and gave two lessons to students on Earth.

Wang’s space dream started in 2003, when China sent its first astronaut Yang Liwei into space. At that time, Wang was a pilot in the Chinese army. After having safe flights for 1,600 hours over nine years, Wang was a strong candidate to become an astronaut in 2010. She pushed herself hard, getting the same training as men. “The space environment won’t change because you are a woman,” she told Xinhua.

The hardest part is the high-G training. Sitting in a spinning (旋转的) machine, Wang would become blind for a while because her brain was short of blood. “There’s a red button (按钮),” said Wang. “If you can’t bear it, you can press it to stop.” But Wang never used it. “There is no such red button in my heart.” That strong spirit finally made her dream come true in 2013. She joined the team for the Shenzhou X mission.

Wang said that as astronauts, women have their own advantages. “Women may be more patient and can better deal with loneliness. Women’s hearts are also easier to adapt (适应) to the weightless environment, making them more suitable for long-term missions.”

Wang Yaping went a long way before becoming the first woman to enter the Tiangong space station. She sets a good example for all women who dream of going to space.