International Space Station crew members now have tiny plastic versions of themselves
Credit: Roscosmos
Meteorologist/Science Writer
Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 10:38 AM - Living in space for four months is a pretty awesome achievement in one's life, but how many people can say that they lived in space and they're now a LEGO minifigure? Answer: Three!
Just last week, NASA astronaut Terry Virts, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shklaperov and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti revealed three 'stowaways' on board the International Space Station, which bear an uncanny resemblance to them.
These three tiny simulacra, a New Year's present to the crew from Italian astronaut Cristoforetti, are from a new line of LEGO minifigures produced by the UK website Minifigs.me, at the behest of her ESA training instructor.
According to CollectSpace.com, "Each of the 2-inch-tall (5 centimeter) minifigures are clad in Russian Sokol spacesuits like the real crew members wore when they launched in November from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Each of the small suits even have the proper agency and national flags: NASA/USA for Virts, Roscosmos/Russia for Shklaperov, and ESA/Italy for Cristoforetti."
"Shklaperov's and Cristoforetti's minifig suits also feature the Soyuz TMA-15M mission patch, whereas Virts figure includes a LEGO football, similar to one he has been seen tossing around on the space station."
Credit: Minifigs.me
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Minifigs.me is a UK company that allows online shoppers to build customizable LEGO minifigures, for a number of different professions, but the addition of astronaut includes some very special features.
According to the site:
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| This minifigure wears a replica of the genuine suits used by astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station, so we have you covered! Originally commissioned for the crew of the ISS, you can order an American, European or Russian suit complete with accurate agency patch and flag. The originals LEGO minifigures we made are velcroed to a wall in the ISS right now - looking down on us as they pass over at 17,150 mph. |
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In addition to NASA, ESA and Roscosmos suits, the minifigure also includes options for the Canadian Space Agency, which goes along with their Chris Hadfield minifig from last year, and there's an International/Other option as well.
Figures are priced at £12.00 each, which - with International shipping added - comes out to just over $30 Canadian.
