Lego Shuttle to fly into space on Discovery STS-133

NASA and Lego announce an education partnership

Today at Kennedy Space Center, in view of the countdown clock and the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133, NASA Education and Lego announced a partnership for educating our children by promoting Lego in space.

Astronaut Leland Melvin and Stephan Turnipseed President Lego Education announced the partnership with an aim to promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Lego being an excellent tool to assist in the development of children at an early age and through different stages of their development.

Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133 will launch with a payload including a small Lego Shuttle model, this will then return to earth on November 17th with Discovery. Space Shuttle Endeavour will launch with a number of Lego kits and will make its mark as being the flight introducing the building of Lego models to space.

Tomorrow for the launch there will be a large tent set up on the NASA causeway in view of the launch pad where kids can build Lego models whilst waiting for the launch to take place.

Astronauts have to go through extensive training to prior to a space mission, and this will be no different for the STS-134 crew. Astronaut Catherine Coleman will be the first person to construct a Lego Model in space. For this she has been undergoing intensive training from her 10 year old son…

Astronaut Leland Melvin and Stephan Turnipseed President Lego Education announce the partnership

NASA-Lego Partnership announced in view of the KSC countdown clock. Space Shuttle Discovery on the pad.

NASA AND THE LEGO GROUP PARTNER TO INSPIRE CHILDREN TO BUILD AND EXPLORE THE FUTURE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A LEGO space shuttle headed to orbit helps mark the Tuesday signing of a Space Act Agreement between NASA and The LEGO Group to spark children’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

To commemorate the beginning of this partnership, the small LEGO shuttle will launch with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission, targeted to launch Wednesday, Nov. 3, from
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The partnership marks the beginning of a three-year agreement that will use the inspiration of NASA’s space exploration missions and the appeal of the popular LEGO bricks to spur children’s interest in
STEM. The theme of the partnership is “Building and Exploring Our Future.”

The LEGO Group will release four NASA-inspired products in their LEGO CITY line next year. The space-themed products will vary in terms of complexity, engaging audiences from young children to adult LEGO fans. 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.

“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, president of LEGO Education North
America. “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. ”

As part of the NASA-The LEGO Group partnership kick-off, a 40-feet by 70-feet activity tent will be set up Wednesday at the shuttle launch viewing site on the NASA Causeway in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Children of all ages will be invited to get creative and build their vision of the future with LEGO bricks as they await Discovery’s launch. To see images of STS-133 prelaunch activities, visit:

http://www.LEGOspace.com

The site has galleries featuring images of prelaunch activities and will add games and other activities leading up to the release of the complete line of LEGO Space City games, activities and products on
March 1.

NASA’s Office of Education in Washington seeks partnerships that help the agency promote student interest in STEM studies and careers. For more information about NASA’s partnership with LEGO and other education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education