Lego Honors Sally Ride and Other 'Women of NASA'

Sally Ride has made history once again -- as a Lego figurine.

The lesbian astronaut, who was the first American woman in space, is part of a groundbreaking new Lego Ideas set called Women of NASA.

Based on a suggestion from a fan, the set features Ride, astronaut Mae Jemison (the first African-American woman in space), astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, and computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, as well as accessories that showcase their contributions throughout five decades of the U.S. space agency's history.

The set, recomended for ages 10 and up and retailing at $24.99, will be released November 1. The Ride and Jemison figurines are both dressed in their uniforms from their first launch, and the set includes a model of a space shuttle with a removable booster tank. The 231-piece set also includes a Hubble Space Telescope -- in minature, at least.

"Great for role playing space exploration missions. Explore the professions of some of the groundbreaking women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with the Lego Ideas Women of NASA set," Lego stated in a Wednesday press release.

The idea was first proposed by Maia Weinstock, a deputy editor at MIT News, in 2016. It took only two weeks before it received 10,000 votes -- enough to be considered by Lego for the set, reports Space.com.

Weinstock included Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician who inspired the book and film Hidden Figures, as part of the original proposal; but Lego could not obtain approval for Johnson's figurine.

Ride died in 2012 at age 61, after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, leaving behind her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy. Ride became an astronaut in 1978 and jetted out of Earth's orbit in 1983 as the first American woman to go into space, becoming a hero to millions of girls and women.