Ever since I was a child, I've always been fascinated by space. I would look up at the night sky and dream of one day becoming an astronaut, endlessly exploring the cosmos. Then I got older and decided that being stuck in a small spacecraft for months on end probably wasn't a great idea (thanks, anxiety). But my love for space still lives on, and when I saw that LEGO announced a replica of the Hubble Space Telescope, I knew I had to have it.
LEGO partnered with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), the two agencies responsible for building the Hubble Space Telescope, to create an accurate replica commemorating the 35th anniversary of its launch. You can purchase the LEGO Hubble Space Telescope now from Amazon and the LEGO Store.
LEGO is no stranger to making space-themed sets, with plenty of other NASA replicas available including the massive Artemis Space Launch System and the Mars Rover Perseverence, as well as sets based on popular space franchises like Star Trek and the recent Project Hail Mary. But, what I really want is for LEGO to bring back some of the classic 90's space sets like Exploriens and Spyrius – those were the best.
LEGO Hubble Space Telescope is built in three major sections spread across nine bags: the stand, the back portion that houses the instrument bay, and the narrower shaft on the front. This was a very relaxing set to put together, and pairs rather nicely with a space-themed synthwave playlist.
You begin by putting together the stand on which Hubble will be displayed. Unlike most LEGO stands, this one uses some interesting techniques with interlocking Technics pieces to create an angled post that allows the Hubble to "dock" when it's on display, helping to stabilize the unit.
At the base of the display are three translucent printed pieces depicting some of Hubble's most iconic Deep Field images: Pillars of Creation, the Whirlpool Galaxy, and the Butterfly Nebula. These are some of the coolest unique pieces I've seen LEGO make, and they look great integrated into the stand. It also includes a small plaque (which is unfortunately a large sticker on a flat piece) on the side of the support arm that provides information about Hubble, including its overall dimensions, weight, launch date, and the dates of key service missions.
While building this set, I actually learned quite a bit about the Hubble and its inner workings. Over the last three decades, it has recorded more than 1.7 million observations of our universe, producing some absolutely stunning imagery, as it circles in low-earth orbit. The instruction manual includes quite a few interesting facts about the Hubble Telescope, as well as a diagram of all of the scientific instruments recreated inside this LEGO model.
After finishing the stand, you move onto what is arguably the most important section of the Hubble: its large bottom half that houses many of its critical systems and instruments. While I expected this portion to be interesting to put together, it was fairly repetitive, as it's a lot of symmetrical sections and repeated instructions.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/we-build-lego-hubble-space-telescope-11382
