Here’s some fun, uplifting news: a 15-year old girl, Abby Harrison, has launched an innovative social media campaign to help reach her goal of being the first astronaut on Mars. Join me in saying “bad ass!”

Her campaign has already propelled her to Kazakhstan, where she is headed later this month for the liftoff of the International Space Station’s next crew. Her mentor and “orbital pen pal,” Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, is part of the crew. According to MSNBC, Abby will serve as Parmitano’s “Earth Liaison” during his mission:

Harrison will be attending the Soyuz launch at Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as Parmitano’s guest, and she plans to send back dispatches about her travels. During Parmitano’s six-month mission on the space station, Astronaut Abby will be checking in on a daily basis as the astronaut’s “Earth Liaison.” She’ll pass along what she finds out via email blasts, blog items, Facebook updates, Twitter tweets and maybe even the occasional Google+ Hangout.

In addition to her amazing campaign, Abby is also juggling high school. Talk about a go-getter! She is an inspiration to young girls and women everywhere. Whether she realizes it or not, she’s quite literally dispelling the myth that girls are neither interested in nor good at S.T.E.M. Let’s get a “woot woot” for Abby, and help her get to Mars one day!

Categories: Spotlight