Countdown to a LEGO Space experience!

| Nov 17, 2010
It got today my attention that LEGO recently signed a three-year contract with NASA. The contract already started at the begin of the month. To launch the contract LEGO gaved NASA a mini shuttle that launched with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission on the third of November! This is the start of a three year project. Next year LEGO will launch 4 space based (inspired by NASA) LEGO sets under the City Storyline. Each product release will contain NASA-inspired education materials.

"Partnering with The LEGO Group is a perfect fit. We have taken the excitement of NASA's missions and coupled that with kids' love of creating things with the iconic LEGO bricks," said Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for Education. "These projects not only foster creativity but also instill in the young builders a real sense of the engineering and design principles that NASA uses every day. Fun learning activities like these can help inspire kids to become the next generation of explorers."

As part of the Space Act Agreement, NASA will send special LEGO sets to the International Space Station aboard shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission in February 2011. The sets will be assembled by astronauts on-orbit and by children and student groups across the country. The construction process and activities with the sets will demonstrate the challenges faced when building things in the microgravity environment of space.


STS-134 will launch with LEGO bricks in late February. To be exact, Feb. 27 at 3:35 p.m. EST, on pad Launch Pad 39A - Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

The sets that are made in the ISS are probably the first LEGO sets are made in space. Which will make this even more news.

Why did LEGO go into "space" with NASA? "The LEGO Group's purpose is to inspire children to think creatively, reason systematically and release their potential to shape their own future," said Stephan Turnipseed. "The partnership with NASA provides us a unique opportunity to fulfill our purpose while expanding the imaginations of children around the world. A child who plays with LEGO bricks today can become the NASA astronaut or engineer of tomorrow. "

The theme of the partnership is "Building and Exploring Our Future." Information can be found on the website designed by LEGO. It's called http://www.legospace.com/en-us/Default.aspx.


The LEGO space site is currently a stand alone page with flying LEGO astronauts. In the middle of the screens you an find a countdown dashboard with the days and months until the release of the offiicial site. This is thus a teaser as well! The official site will have a download and fun zone section.
At the bottom of the stand alone page, you can find 3 rows. The first row has 2 pictures from the LEGO employee and an employee of NASA playing together with the mini space ship. I think they took the photos with a green screen and that they added the background when they were editing the picture, but I'm not sure! The second row has some pictures of creations that has been made by children on the day of the launch in an activity tent that was set up specially for that. The third row are the pictures before the launch with the astronauts that are a part of the STS-133 mission.

Have fun in the space.

-over and out-

4 comments:

Gatanui said... [REPLY]

Silly me, I forgot to post this! Well, I guess I would have sooner or later anyway, and it was not reported anywhere else yet. :) The countdown ends on 11/1/11 (or 1/11/11 if you live in the US). Brilliant, isn´t it? :D

C-Fish said... [REPLY]

Wow! Awesome! The picture of the astronaut floating on his back is funny.

Anonymous said... [REPLY]

This could be interesting for you:
http://www.blockdot.com/news/pressDetail.aspx?NewsId=221

Anonymous

Anonymous said... [REPLY]

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Play it here:http://client.blockdot.com/admin/clientfolders/LEGO/hffire/
You may have to create a new hero, do this here:
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The game saves progress and is the full version of the new mission: Ordeal of Fire!

Anonymous
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