Laysa Peixoto
Layso Peixoto is a Brazilian Latter-day Saint and aspiring astronaut who was featured in a 2022 Deseret News article.
Laysa belongs to a group of astronomy lovers in Brazil. One day a group member shared a link to an opportunity to analyze telescope images to look for asteroids for NASA. Laysa signed up.
- “They send images from the Pan-STARRS telescope at the University of Hawaii,” she explains. “I used the astrometric software to analyze these images, and I was looking for some point movement with the characteristics of an asteroid.”
- After scouring images and sending reports for analysis, one day she got a confirmation. She had found an asteroid.[1]
She has the privilege of naming the asteroid. It is temporarily designated LPS0003.
Laysa was also a physics student at Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil at the time of her discovery. She has since attended the Space Academy hosted by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, also known as Space Camp.
She also met retired NASA astronaut Michael Foreman at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
- Peixoto paints a picture of what she calls “indescribable joy” as she reads the Old Testament’s account of the Creation. “I feel I am closer to Heavenly Father than ever.” After a quiet beat and a breath, she continues. “I feel the sky teaches us a lot of things about our divine nature. We are an important part of the Cosmos, we are deeply connected with space and time and everything around us.”
- Peixoto feels this cosmic connection extends to her family. She lives with her mother and younger brother and tried to be careful not to prioritize her pursuits over her loved ones. “My family and faith are the most important things in my life. That will not change.”[2]
She has enrolled in a private pilot course. After completing her undergraduate degree in physics, she will make decisions about pursuing additional schooling in related disciplines. She hopes to pursue employment avenues at NASA, the Brazilian Space Agency and with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. Her ultimate goal is to become an astronaut. “I would like to go to the moon! And I think when we reach the moon again we’ll understand much more about it. We’ll have answers we’ve been waiting for.” In the meantime, she’s excited about working down here on Earth, making preparations for what the future might bring.[3] Layso is also an accomplished musician and plays both the piano and violin.
