Though the moon can sometimes seem like a distant destination for a rocket, the second newly-announced Lego kit takes in a much wider view of deep space.
The Lego Art The Milky Way Galaxy set (no. 31212; $199.99 / ⁘199.99 / ⁘169.99) creates a colorful, dimensional map of our home galaxy, spanning more than 620,000,000,000,000,000 miles (1,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilometers or about 100,000 light years) in a 25.5-inch-wide (65-centimeter) mosaic.
Lego's gorgeous recreation of our cosmic neighborhood features many galactic landmarks such as the Trappist-1 system, the Pleiades star cluster, the Crab Nebula and the Pillars of Creation.
In addition to the astronomical sights, the mosaic also includes a "You are here" sign placed where our solar system is located and what looks to be a spacecraft (though only four probes have just barely left our solar system, with a fifth on its way).
Designed to be hung on a wall, the Milky Way Galaxy set is built up from five different panels, each with its own instructions, so it can be assembled by an individual or as a group activity. Builders can also access (via a QR code) a podcast specially recorded for this set featuring Lego Group host Jack Gardner Vaa; science communicators Camille "Galactic Gal" Bergin and University of Leicester chancellor Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and Lego Group designer Adam Vaughan.
The Space Launch System and Milky Way will be available to order for members of Lego Insiders, the company's loyalty program, on May 15. The sets will then be released for sale to all both online and at Lego Stores beginning on May 18.
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Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com , an online publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space⁘ published by Smithsonian Books in 2018. He previously developed online content for the National Space Society and Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, helped establish the space tourism company Space Adventures and currently serves on the History Committee of the American Astronautical Society, the advisory committee for The Mars Generation and leadership board of For All Moonkind. In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History.
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