You can probably name a handful of astronauts and astrophysicists, most of them male. Throughout grade school, their names are repeated in history books: Buzz, Neil, Gus… what about the women who set many of these missions into motion?
Submitted to LEGO Ideas, the Women of NASA project highlights five female scientists and astronauts who’ve made a lasting impact. They include:
- Sally Ride, astronaut and first American woman in space
- Margaret Hamilton, the computer scientist who developed on-board flight software for the Apollo missions
- Katherine Johnson, mathematician who calculated trajectories for the Mercury and Apollo programs
- Mae Jemison, medical doctor and the first African-American woman in space
- Nancy Grace Roman, the “Mother of Hubble” and one of the first female executives at NASA
The set includes a tiny Hubble Space Telescope and Space Shuttle, as well as information on each of the women and their accomplishments, in hopes of inspiring future scientists to pursue their passions for space and technology. If the project gets 10,000 supporters, it qualifies to move to the official LEGO review round.