GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
ADVERTISEMENT
Filtered By: Scitech
SciTech
LEGO Curiosity Rover with 'Martian rocks' lands in stores January 1
Starting the first day of 2014, science buffs and LEGO fans can get their hands on the brick version of the science laboratory rover Curiosity that landed on Mars.
The historic Curiosity Rover will be the fifth LEGO Cuusoo set for $29.99, the brick toy maker said in a blog post.
"Hailed by NASA as a 'miracle of engineering' when it landed on Mars in August, 2012, we’re thrilled to present a LEGO set based on this historic spacecraft. The fifth LEGO CUUSOO set, 21104 NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover, will be available in the LEGO Shop online for $29.99 from January 1st, 2014," it said.
LEGO said its version of Curiosity features many details, including the six-wheel rocker-bogie suspension, articulated robotic arm and multiple camera sets.
Also included is a display plate complete with Martian rocks – made of LEGO, of course.
Similar to other LEGO CUUSOO sets, the building instruction booklet also includes background information about the fan builder, the history of Mars exploration, and the real Curiosity Rover," LEGO said.
Similar to other LEGO CUUSOO sets, the building instruction booklet also includes background information about the fan builder, the history of Mars exploration, and the real Curiosity Rover," LEGO said.
LEGO said the rover project is a brainchild of mechanical engineer Stephen Pakbaz, who worked on the actual Curiosity rover at the National Aeronautics Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Pakbaz submitted the rover project to LEGO Cuusoo in late 2011, to promote the educational outreach of the Mars Curiosity rover’s mission.
"His project reached 10,000 supporters within two weeks of the landing in August 2012, and was selected for production by the LEGO Review Board this June," LEGO said.
Reliving the experience
Pakbaz got his own Curiosity Rover LEGO sets and confessed to giggling when he opened the box.
"Opening the box was followed by a lot of high-pitched giggling (I was the only one in the room, so I’m not sure who it could have come from!). For me, the building experience was similar to what I felt when the real Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars. Thanks to everyone at LEGO CUUSOO who made this possible!" he said.
He added the Curiosity rover is one of his favorite and most popular creations.
"Ultimately, there is not much of a difference between the official model and my prototype and I can see how the differences add up to significant improvements on my original design," he said.
But he also noted some improvements, including the use of the Black Steering Arm, which uses ball joints to connect the rocker-bogie suspension to the swiveling arm on top of the rover body.
He also cited the instruction booklet, which has images and educational information about the rover, including some of the fascinating history of Mars exploration.
"My favorite parts are the tidbits added to the margins of the building steps that provide extra information about various components of the rover as you build them," he said. — TJD, GMA News
