Science writer proposes a new 'Women of NASA' LEGO set

One science writer wants LEGO to embrace the "ladies who rock outer space."

Maia Weinstock, deputy editor of MIT News and self-proclaimed "LEGO tinkerer," has proposed a new LEGO set celebrating the women of NASA.

She narrowed the list down to five women:

• Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist who developed software for the Apollo missions.

• Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who calculated trajectories for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

• Sally Ride, who became the first American woman in space in 1983.

• Nancy Grace Roman, an astronomer often called the "Mother of Hubble" for her work to make the Hubble Space Telescope a reality.

• Mae Jemison, who became the first African-American woman in space in 1992.

"Women have played critical roles throughout the history of the U.S. space program, a.k.a. NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration," Weinstock wrote in her proposal. "Yet in many cases, their contributions are unknown or under-appreciated — especially as women have historically struggled to gain acceptance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)."

Weinstock posted reactions to her proposal, both good and bad, on social media, including this one asking if there is a "men of NASA" set and another defending her idea.

Weinstock has already garnered 2,500 supporters, including NASA.

If a proposal gets 10,000 supporters on the LEGO Ideas website, the LEGO Review Board takes a look, and it could be made into a real set.