7-Year-Old Writes Letter To NASA Asking How To Become An Astronaut, NASA Responds With Explanation

A seven-year-old boy by the name of Dexter, who is obsessed with Mars, wrote a heartfelt letter to NASA asking how he might be able to, one day, visit the Red Planet, and was surprised to find that he actually got a response from the government agency.

Dexter’s letter stated, “Dear nasa, My name is Dexter. I heard that you are sending two people to mars and I would like to come but I’m 7. So I can’t. I would like to come in the future. What do I need to do to become an astronaut. Thank you, Dexter.”

Dexter’s adorable letter was met with a delightful response, which thanked the boy for writing to them, before adding, “NASA wants you to know that your thoughts and ideas to further space exploration are important, and we hope that you will continue to learn all you can about NASA’s space programs, missions and accomplishments.”

They then added that Dexter, if he continues his pursuits, “could be one of the pioneers that may help lead the world’s activities for better understanding of our earth and for exploring space.”

The letter then also provided links to various space programs and activities, before once again thanking him for his interest and wishing him every success in the future before encouraging him to “keep reaching for the stars!”

NASA then also added a plethora of pictures of Mars, stickers, bookmarks and another image of the Mars Curiosity rover that roamed the planet.

Dexter’s mother, Katrina Anderson, then uploaded images of her son and his gifts from NASA to imgur and Reddit, which have both since garnered over 1,700 comments.

Katrina then told Huffington Post, via email, “His initial reaction was shock! He couldn’t believe he got a package that big from NASA honestly I thought he’d only get a letter at best. Then he excitedly tore open the letter somewhat carefully and read the letter out loud. He then looked at the pictures then put them in his room for safe keeping.”

She then concluded, “He loves science and maths and after visiting the Kenendy [sic] Space Centre last year his interest has known no bounds!”

[Image via imgur]