Astronaut Barbie Takes Zero-Gravity Flight to Inspire Young Girls to Take Up Career in Space, STEM

Astronomy fanatics are celebrating World Area Week from October 4 to October 10. To make this occasion memorable for younger ladies and encourage them to contemplate a profession in house analysis and STEM, the European Area Company (ESA) has put a particular Barbie doll — modelled after European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti — in zero-gravity at a base in Germany to organize it for the atmosphere earlier than heading off to house. The doll sported a white spacewalking go well with. This doll debuted on the Worldwide Day of the Woman Baby on October 11 in 2018. One other such doll that debuted alongside donned a blue flight go well with with ESA patches.

The doll in white spacewalking go well with was positioned in a zero-gravity flight on October 4, marking Barbie’s sixtieth anniversary. The intention of the initiative is to encourage younger ladies to contemplate a profession in STEM — science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic. It’s backed by instructional sources that define profession choices within the house business and in addition make obtainable examine supplies for major faculty youngsters.

Proceeds from the gross sales of those two dolls throughout the toy shops within the UK and Europe will go in the direction of the non-profit organisation Girls In Aerospace (WIA) to assist college students of their larger research, said a report.

Samantha Cristoforetti is about to change into the primary European feminine astronaut to command the Worldwide Area Station subsequent 12 months. Popularly identified in her dwelling nation Italy as “AstroSamantha” or “AstroSam,” she hopes the pictures of the doll flying in zero-gravity will “kindle a ardour in some ladies’ hearts” and encourage the subsequent technology.

In an interview to Sky Information not too long ago, Barbie’s Advertising and marketing Director for Europe and Rising Markets Isabel Ferrer stated the model is utilizing its platform to encourage younger ladies to discover their “limitless potential” within the house business, which continues to be underrepresented by ladies.

World Area Week was declared as an annual celebration in 1999 by the United Nations Common Meeting. This 12 months, greater than 90 nations are organising occasions to mark the occasion with the theme “Girls in Area.”