Those who know me understand that within my 45-year-old frame beats the heart of a child. I still play video games, still shake presents under the tree in the days leading up to Christmas, and still feel that same sense of awe when viewing the rings of Saturn like I did when I first glimpsed them through my telescope in fourth grade. Recently, I finished assembling a LEGO version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous house Fallingwater that this man-child simply had to have.On its mission to Jupiter, set to launch today, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will carry three special LEGO figurines: the Roman god Jupiter, the Roman goddess Juno, and Galileo Galilei. NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC

Well, I could hardly finish my Kraft Lunchables meal the other day as I read a NASA news release detailing how the space agency’s Juno spacecraft will carry three LEGO figures with it when it heads to Jupiter. Having played most of the LEGO video games available on the Wii gaming console, I was captivated by the image of the trio of figurines: the Roman god Jupiter, holding the requisite lightning bolt; his wife, the Roman goddess Juno, who holds a magnifying glass to signify her search for truth; and, fittingly, Galileo Galilei, who turned his humble telescope toward the heavens and discovered Jupiter’s four largest moons in January 1610. Today, we still refer to those satellites as the Galilean moons in his honor.

According to the NASA news release, sending these three “mini statues” on the journey is “part of a joint outreach and educational program developed as part of the partnership between NASA and the LEGO Group to inspire children to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”Recently, the author completed a LEGO rendition of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous house Fallingwater, built in 1936 in western Pennsylvania. Chris Raymond photo

Well, I applaud that effort and tip the astronaut visor I wish I could wear to whoever came up with this great concept. Consider this young-at-heart inspired!

I only have one question: Where can I buy replicas of these awesome LEGO figurines? Seriously.

Astronomy.com blog