In a probing conversation between two generations of astronaut, SpaceX pilot Sian Proctor suits up with Alyssa Carson, 21-year-old space influencer and likely future explorer of Mars, to discuss their lifelong obsession with the stars, the problem with colonising planets – and why, when you solve problems in space, you solve them for Earth
Sian Proctor and Alyssa Carson may be 31 years apart in age, but they share the same core belief: that space travel, if made genuinely equitable, is a fundamental endeavour for humanity.
Proctor, aged 52, is a geology professor and science communicator who in 2021 became the first African American woman to pilot a spacecraft when she was launched into Earth’s orbit on the SpaceX Inspiration4 flight – the first orbital space flight with only private citizens aboard. Previously, in 2009, she had made it to the final round of Nasa’s astronaut selection process but was rejected. Instead, she went on to work as an analogue astronaut, carrying out research experiments in space simulations, in which she lived for up to four months at a time. Finally achieving her goal of space flight has instilled in Proctor an even greater ambition to inspire the next generation of astronauts, particularly women of colour and people from the global south. She believes that the future of space travel must take a Jedi – just, equitable, diverse and inclusive – approach, and travels the world to promote her mission.
At 21 years old, Carson is not yet a professional astronaut, but she is something of a space influencer. Currently studying astrobiology at the Florida Institute of Technology, she is the only person to have attended every Nasa space camp and is a likely future explorer of Mars, a mission to which both Proctor and Carson agree is likely in the next 10-15 years. With more than 500,000 Instagram followers, Carson is an influential young voice and proponent of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) industries. During her summer break, she was practising her flying in order to renew her pilot’s licence. Her final year at university – and a crucial decision about which grad schools to apply to – awaits.
When we spoke over Zoom in June, Proctor was at home in Arizona and Carson was in Louisiana. Both scientists – one just on the cusp of beginning her professional life, the other well and truly excelling in it – were filled with excitement about the future of human space exploration and the part the other might play in it.
Hello to you both! You are both pioneers of the future of space travel. But I want to take it right back to the beginning – when did you first know you wanted to explore what lies beyond Earth?
