New LEGO Ideas Set Will Highlight the Women of NASA

With a Hidden Figures mathematician and the discovery of TRAPPIST-1, LEGO began production of the next set from LEGO Ideas that celebrates women of NASA.

As part of their next collection of LEGO Ideas, LEGO wants to celebrate the women of NASA. Obviously, there are many women who have contributed to our advancements in space. But the four that LEGO chose include Katherine Johnson — the mathematician and scientist portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the Oscar-nominated film, Hidden Figures.

Women of NASA LEGO Set. Image Provided By Maia Weinstock/LEGO Ideas.

Here are the rest of the ladies LEGO plans to immortalize in miniature plastic form:

"Margaret Hamilton, computer scientist: While working at MIT under contract with NASA in the 1960s, Hamilton developed the on-board flight software for the Apollo missions to the moon. She is known for popularizing the modern concept of software.Katherine Johnson, mathematician and space scientist: A longtime NASA researcher, Johnson is best known for calculating and verifying trajectories for the Mercury and Apollo programs — including the Apollo 11 mission that first landed humans on the moon.Sally Ride, astronaut, physicist, and educator: A physicist by training, Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. After retiring as a NASA astronaut, she founded an educational company focusing on encouraging children — especially girls — to pursue the sciences.Nancy Grace Roman, astronomer: One of the first female executives at NASA, Roman is known to many as the “Mother of Hubble” for her role in planning the Hubble Space Telescope. She also developed NASA’s astronomy research program.Mae Jemison, astronaut, physician, and entrepreneur: Trained as a medical doctor, Jemison became the first African-American woman in space in 1992. After retiring from NASA, Jemison established a company that develops new technologies and encourages students in the sciences."

Also, check out the announcement video from LEGO. The speaker is Lise, LEGO’s marketing manager. In addition to marketing, it looks like her job gives her to access to all things awesome. I want to the keys to the LEGO closet, too.

Now, the project obviously looks pretty cool. But LEGO was careful to point out that the image above doesn’t necessarily represent the final product. More importantly, Maia Weinstock, a science editor and writer, sent in the submission. Or in other words, someone who really knows her stuff.

Unfortunately, we won’t see this set on shelves until “late 2017 or early 2018,” so stay tuned.

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