LEGO® Education minifigures launch into space for special STEAM learning series

As part of Build to Launch: A STEAM Exploration Series, LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime minifigure characters will travel to space aboard the Orion spacecraft

Billund, Denmark (November 8, 2021) – LEGO® Education announced two of its minifigures, Kate and Kyle, will travel to space on the uncrewed Artemis I mission as part of its collaboration with NASA on Build to Launch: A STEAM Exploration Series. Bringing the free, 10-week digital learning series to life, the minifigures’ space travel will help further spark student curiosity and engagement in STEAM. Joining Kate and Kyle on Orion will be LEGO® City minifigures Julia and Sebastian. The Artemis I mission is the first integrated launch of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket to send the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back to Earth ahead of future flights with astronauts.

Available now, the Build to Launch Series, designed in collaboration with NASA, offers free, hands-on, interactive lessons that allow students to explore different STEAM concepts and careers inspired by the Artemis missions. The standards-based series includes open-ended prompts to allow flexibility and scalability for K-12 teachers to implement all or some of the content into their curriculum. The digital series can be used with LEGO Education sets or is easily adapted for non-tech use with materials commonly available in classrooms or homes everywhere.

“Sending Kate and Kyle to space is an exciting culmination of the Build to Launch learning series and truly is a once in a lifetime real-world application for students,” said Esben Stærk, president of LEGO Education. “Kate and Kyle are not only familiar to those using SPIKE Prime, but as minifigures they are recognizable and relatable for many students around the world. Our hope is that including Kate and Kyle in this space mission will excite students about the possibilities of STEAM careers and engage them in their own learning journey.”

Throughout the 10 weeks, students will explore critical components that go into a successful launch while building important 21st-century skills like collaboration and critical thinking. The interactive episodes and open-ended prompts will guide students through three learning themes: Getting to Space, Testing and Transport, and Working in Space.

Aboard the Orion spacecraft, Kate and Kyle will represent the Build to Launch flight crew of the new LEGO® Space Team, which also includes a dynamic six person ground crew. In the series, each Space Team minifigure represents a real-life counterpart, such as a command pilot (Kate) and mission specialist (Kyle), to help students better understand the diverse roles, backgrounds, and skillsets within the Artemis I team. Complete with individual bios, fun facts, and job descriptions, each minifigure will host episodes featuring their NASA counterpart, as well as interact with students and teachers who submit questions and share their learning experiences on social media using #BuildtoLaunch.

Teachers and parents are invited to visit LEGOeducation.com/BuildtoLaunch for more information, downloadable resources, and an option to register for updates and bonus content throughout the series.

About Build to Launch: A STEAM Exploration Series

10 weeks of space-themed STEAM curriculum that follows the journey of the LEGO Space Team as students apply STEAM practices based on educational standards and explore forces and motion, energy transfer, computational thinking, and more
Three lesson themes that are representative of various STEAM careers at NASA and the phases of launch preparation for the Artemis I mission
Interactive episodes where teachers and their students can submit questions to be answered by NASA and animated LEGO® Education minifigures
Open-ended prompts encourage student creativity and engagement through hands-on learning, while offering flexibility for teachers. An additional Teacher Resource Guide gives support to completing the open-ended lessons

About LEGO Education

LEGO® Education offers a range of playful, hands-on STEAM learning experiences based on its comprehensive learning system for students in early learning, primary and secondary education, as well as through after-school programs and competitions. From the Early Learning portfolio to the LEGO® Learning System, these solutions create an active and collaborative environment where learners of all levels and abilities build their confidence, future-proof their skills and spark a lifelong love of learning.

About NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is America’s civil space program and the global leader in space exploration. Through the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and build a sustainable presence to eventually send humans to Mars. Through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, the agency inspires the future STEM workforce to engage in the science, technology, engineering and math that is the foundation of NASA’s mission success.

To learn more about the Artemis mission, visit:
https://stem.nasa.gov/artemis/.