Lego unveils "Women of NASA" set with Sally Ride, Mae Jemison
The women of NASA are the latest heroes to be commemorated by Lego.
A new 231-piece set features Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, and Mae Jemison, the first black woman to travel in space. Also included in the set are figures of astronomer and educator Nancy Grace Roman and computer scientist Margaret Hamilton.
Lego versions of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the Hubble Space telescope can be put together with the set. A miniature version of Hamilton's workspace at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as she was programming software for the moon landing is also featured.
The set is the brainchild of Maia Weinstock, an MIT employee who proposed a women of NASA collection through the Lego Ideas program.
Three years ago, Lego introduced its first set featuring women who are also scientists, which was designed by geoscientist Ellen Kooijman. The set included three tiny plastic figures: a paleontologist, an astronomer and a chemist. Soon after going on sale, the minifigure set sold out at the Lego store.
The set was rolled out after the toy company faced criticism for its Friends line, geared toward girls. Critics complained the Friends sets reinforced gender stereotypes such as focusing on girls' appearances by selling catwalk and shopping mall settings. Current Friends sets include amusement park rides, a horseback riding center and a cafe.
The NASA set retails for $24.99 and goes on sale Nov. 1.
