Anyone is allowed to submit an idea for a Lego set [1], and a recently pitched one called Women of NASA [2] is definitely one worth making. Proposed by Maia Weinstock [3], deputy editor of MIT News, this Lego set recognizes five notable women who have done groundbreaking work with NASA.
The Lego set's five women include:
- Margaret Hamilton: a computer scientist who developed the software for Apollo missions to the moon.
- Katherine Johnson: a mathematician and space scientist who calculated trajectories for the Apollo 11 mission.
- Sally Ride: an astronaut, physicist, and educator who was the first American female in space.
- Nancy Grace Roman: an astronomer and one of the first female NASA executives who's also known as the "Mother of Hubble."
- Mae Jemison: an astronaut, physician, and entrepreneur who was the first African-American female in space.
In her proposal, Weinstock wrote that women in the fields of science and technology failed to be celebrated at the same level as much as their male counterparts. The set, featuring five minifigures, would educate kids and adults alike about these women and their "critical roles throughout the history of the US space program."
In order to qualify for review, Maia will need 10,000 supporters for her idea, and she's already gained 3,250 and counting since being submitted on July 18. Lego granted Maia an additional six months to reach her goal since she gathered 1,000 supporters within her first year now, giving her 540 days left since the time of writing. Something tell us that she'll hit 10,000 without a problem. The Doctor Who Lego set [4]came out of an Lego Ideas submission, so Women of NASA is also likely to become a reality.
The Entire Set
The 5 Minifigures
Margaret Hamilton
The Real Margaret Hamilton Next to Her Lego Version
Sally Ride and Mae Jemison
Katherine Johnson
Nancy Grace Roman
Mae Jemison
Women of NASA