In partnership with NASA, American Girl have created a brilliant new doll called Luciana Vega, an 11-year-old aspiring astronaut who wants to be the first person to step foot on Mars. In the accompanying book series written by Erin Teagen, Luciana is introduced as a young girl of Chilean descent, with a dream of landing on Mars, who wins a scholarship to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. However as Luciana graduates from a ‘Space Camp kid to youth astronaut trainee’, she encounters a multitude of challenges that ‘test her competitive spirit and self-confidence, pushing her to find the courage to embrace the unknown with bravery, curiosity, and wonder.’
Alongside Luciana, American Girl and NASA through the Space Act Agreement have also created a spacesuit outfit based on NASA’s Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), the spacesuit used onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and previously during space shuttle missions. Luciana’s other fantastic accessories include a Maker Station, a blue Space Camp flight suit and a Mars Habitat which is ‘loaded with science and research essentials for hours of pretend play’. American Girl and NASA have also created a new American Girl World app featuring the doll and aspiring third to fifth grade astronauts can take part in ‘Blast Off to Discovery’ an educational program by NASA, Scholastic and Space Camp featuring Luciana Vega content, including ‘lesson plans, classroom activities, videos and a game’.
“It is so important to find exciting new ways to inspire our next generation of space explorers. I always want to encourage girls and boys to pursue their dreams, no matter how big, and I think it helps to show how those dreams can become reality for any kid.”
A NASA advisory board, including former NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan, the CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Deborah Barnhart, Manager of Strategic Alliances at NASA Headquarters Maureen O’Brien and NASA Astronaut Megan McArthur, proudly worked with American Girl to create the authentic design and story. As Astronaut Megan McArthur mentions in a NASA post, “It is so important to find exciting new ways to inspire our next generation of space explorers. I always want to encourage girls and boys to pursue their dreams, no matter how big, and I think it helps to show how those dreams can become reality for any kid.”
Luciana Vega is certainly the doll that I wish I had when I was younger, and will be available to buy for any young budding astronauts in January 2018! If you’re an aspiring astronaut like Luciana and want to attend Space Camp, American Girl are providing 20 scholarships to Space Camp through the project!