Proposed Lego set honoring women of NASA wants your vote
A suggested new Lego set honoring female pioneers who helped further US space exploration could hit store shelves if it gets enough votes on the Lego Ideas site.
An impressive Lego set inspired by five notable female NASA pioneers could become a reality if it gets enough votes on the Lego Ideas site.
The deputy editor of MIT News, Maia Weinstock, submitted the proposed set to Lego Ideas. It needs 10,000 votes to be considered for production by the official Lego team. Currently, the project has just over 5,200 votes.
"Women have played critical roles throughout the history of the US space program, aka NASA," Weinstock said in her proposal. "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)."
The set comes with Lego minifigures for five accomplished female NASA scientists, including computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, who developed the on-board flight software for the Apollo moon missions, and scientist and mathematician Katherine Johnson, who calculated trajectories for the Mercury and Apollo space programs.
Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, who is known for her role in planning the Hubble Space Telescope, is included in the proposed set, as is astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space in 1983, and astronaut Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space in 1992.
The minifigs come with display settings that include a photo of the code that helped astronauts land on the moon in 1969; scientific instruments; a tiny Hubble Space Telescope; and a small Lego space shuttle.
Fans can vote on the project here.
UPDATE on Aug. 4: On Aug. 2, Women of NASA announced on Lego Ideas that it received enough votes -- 10,000 supporters -- so the proposed set will now be officially reviewed by the Lego Group.
"We should know by January whether Lego will produce the kit in stores," Weinstock said in the update. "Thanks again, everyone, and don't forget to -- in the words of Sally Ride -- always reach for the stars!"