ORLANDO, Fla. – A rare new LEGO block made of meteorite dust has been put on display in Orlando, according to a spokesperson for the company.
In a release, LEGO announced that scientists with the European Space Agency had drawn inspiration from LEGO’s bricks to design launch pads and shelters for astronauts as part of the Artemis space program.
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However, building materials can’t be taken to the Moon, so ESA researchers have been trying to determine whether materials that are already in space can be used for construction.
As a result, these scientists created small pieces similar to LEGO bricks to build scaled-down versions of different structures.
The catch? These bricks were made out of 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite dust.
According to LEGO officials, ESA scientists found the ancient meteorite after it crashed into North Africa more than 20 years ago. The scientists then used dust from the meteorite to 3D print these LEGO-inspired building blocks.
The release shows that the resulting “ESA Space Bricks” are being displayed at select LEGO stores in the USA, Canada, UK, France, Spain and Australia, as well as the LEGO House in Denmark.
One of these LEGO stores is Disney Springs in Orlando, where the brick will be displayed until Sept. 20.