The first American woman in outer space, Sally Ride, will soon be immortalised in Lego as part of a new ‘Women of NASA’ concept the company is set to release.
Sally Ride kept her sexuality hidden throughout her career but came out after she died via her obituary in 2012.
Science writer and editor Maia Weinstock created the concept for the annual Lego Ideas competition, a chance for fans to design their dream Lego set.
Weinstock says she came up with the idea to honour the women who have played critical roles in the history of the US Space Program.
“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),” Weinstock wrote on her application.
Weinstock told the Washington Post that Sally Ride was an inspiration to her when she was growing up.
NASA pioneers Sally Ride and Mae Jemison. Source: Lego/Maia Weinstock
“What she did to support women and girls in the STEM fields is remarkable.I knew I wanted to include her because she's already fairly famous, so that would help the set gain some traction, but also because of all of the work she's done post-NASA, to encourage young people to go into science and [engineering].”
As well as Ride, computer scientist and mathematician Katherine Johnson—who was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in Hidden Figures—is featured in the set.
“We’re really excited to be able to introduce Maia’s Women of NASA set for its inspirational value as well as build and play experience,” a statement from Lego reads.
The set has no release date as yet, with Lego saying they are still working on the final design and pricing.
