Space

LEGO Ideas: 10,000 People Clamor For Female NASA Scientists' Limited Edition Toy Figures

Megha Kedia
First Posted: Aug 02, 2016 05:55 AM EDT

UPDATE: Straight from Maia Weinstock, herself, the reality and materialization of the particular LEGO Ideas project is still in review despite receiving the 10,000 target support. No official confirmation nor finalizations have been made by LEGO as to when or will the toy set be actually made. However, she has hinted, through her personal email to Science World Report, on a possible announcement from LEGO about the said project by early January next year. 

It seems that Lego Ideas proposal to turn five of NASA's most popular female scientists into a range of mini figures will soon turn into reality. Proposed and created by MIT news editor and science writer, Maia Weinstock, the 'Women of NASA' set of figurines includes Margaret Hamilton, Katherine Johnson, Sally Ride, Nancy Grace Roman, and Mae Jemison. The female NASA scientist proposal was submitted as part of Lego Ideas initiative which calls out public to submit ideas and vote for future toy ranges. The proposals which end up getting the most number of votes goes into the production stage.

As of writing, the 'Women of NASA' Lego proposal is less than 100 votes away from getting into shape. The toy maker selects those proposals which hit 10,000 votes from the public. "Women have played critical roles throughout the history of the US space program, AKA NASA," Weinstock noted in her proposal, reported Science Alert"Yet in many cases, their contributions are unknown or under-appreciated - especially as women have historically struggled to gain acceptance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)."

She added that the spirit of the 'Women of NASA' set honors to all women who've contributed in some way to the agency's mission of advancing society through space exploration, according to CNet.

Mathematician and space scientist, Katherine Johnson, is known for calculating and verifying the trajectories for the Apollo 11 mission. Margaret Hamilton was a computer scientist who developed the on-board flight software for the Apollo moon missions. Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman is well known for her role in planning the Hubble Space Telescope. Astronaut Sally Ride was the first American woman in space back in 1983. Last but not the least to feature in the Lego line-up is Mae Jemison who became the first African-American woman in space in 1992.

What do you think about Lego Ideas female NASA scientist proposal? Let us know in the comments below.

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

More on SCIENCEwr