The LEGO Group is harnessing children’s creativity and imagination to show what may await us in space in the not-too-distant future.
A new study from the LEGO Group finds that 85 percent of Kiwi kids are interested in finding new planets, stars and galaxies. The draw of the undiscovered is inspiring Kiwi kids to imagine what lurks in the great unknown, with the study revealing that 51 percent believe aliens exist and that more than half (56 percent) would like to meet one.
Inspiring the Space Generation to the Moon and back
By the end of the decade, NASA’s Artemis program aims to return people to the Moon as part of a bigger ambition to put humans on Mars. The first humans to experience that new frontier will be Generation Alpha—kids born between 2010 and 2025. The future explorers, dubbed by LEGO New Zealand as The Space Generation, will take humankind further into the universe than we have ever been since making that first giant leap in 1969.
Kiwi parents share this aspiration, with 78 percent of them agreeing that The Space Generation are more likely to travel into space than previous generations. Recognising this and the importance of nurturing children’s passion for space, LEGO Australia and New Zealand has partnered with the first Astronaut trained under the Australian flag and Australian Space Agency team member, Katherine Bennell-Pegg. Katherine has joined LEGO New Zealand in its mission to inspire kids to unleash their imagination and explore the limitless possibilities of space, in any way they like.
“It’s an honour representing Australia as the first astronaut under our flag and to be working with LEGO Australia and New Zealand to encourage The Space Generation to explore the universe,” said Bennell-Pegg.
“The Australian Space Agency and LEGO Australia and New Zealand share a unified vision for exploration and discovery, and I believe that unlocking creativity through the medium of LEGO play will give Aussie and Kiwi kids the very best chance to pursue their passion and prepare them for the future.”
Brick by Space Brick
Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA), where Katherine trained, have turned to their love of LEGO brick building when designing launch pads and shelters for astronauts visiting the moon.
As part of the Artemis program, the ESA used dust from a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite to 3D print bricks—similar to LEGO bricks—to help design astronaut shelters in space. The ESA LEGO Space Bricks will aim to inspire the builders of tomorrow about how LEGO brick building can help solve out-of-this-world problems.
“We are thrilled at the opportunity to nurture the Space Generation’s curious attitudes toward space, broadening their horizons to embrace the potential that lies beyond our planet. Building on our research, we take great pride in revealing our pioneering collaboration with the Australian Space Agency, and the incredible Katherine Bennell-Pegg,” said Troy Taylor, Vice President and General Manager, Australia and New Zealand at the LEGO Group.
“With much of the universe still undiscovered, the LEGO Group has been drawing inspiration from space for over 50 years to foster kids’ imaginations through the ultimate creative medium of LEGO bricks, giving the world a preview of what awaits us in the universe.”
