While 87% of the Alpha generation is interested in discovering new planets, more than half of children between the ages of 4 and 14 are eager for a career in space. This data, collected by the Lego group, not only means that children are less interested in becoming social media influencers than they were 5 years ago, but also shows that the next major space age is almost certainly on the horizon. 

That is, the child does not dream of adventures in space.

"Kids are more interested in the storytelling aspect of space, so they have this endless place to be creative and imaginative using space" and for us, it really informed the space we were designing."

Meehan's team is behind a massive collection of space-themed LEGO sets that have been launched in recent weeks and are a big moment for the 45-year-old franchise, and maybe you've seen the swirling 3,000+ piece Milky Way Galaxy Mosaic (31212) trending online, or you've seen the Gear Wheel." You may have checked out the rotating planets Earth and Moon orbits (42179) from Lego's Technic series, which features a rotating wheel and axle. Lego Space will also extend to Lego City with Mars Cosmodrome and Rocket (42605) and Lego Friends, as well as the modular Space Station (60433).

"I felt a great responsibility to continue with that wonderful history, a wonderful lineage that will impress children with a wonderful space set," Meehan said of the new collection. The designers clued me into a number of connecting themes between these sets, with an emphasis on embracing the unknown possibilities of the universe, NASA caliber details hidden from the corresponding color palette.

"We talked to the kids, and they told us that they knew more about the universe than their parents," Meehan said. "We think it's only children who learn a lot about the universe in school, but it's not always the case," he said. That's because the kids tell us, "Well, you can't tell me this thing doesn't exist or this might not be there," citing that about 95% of the space is still an unexplored place.

The Lego group regularly takes cues from children to see which sets lead to production and which elements of a particular set have changed. As part of the development of the Lego Space set, the design team needed to tap into a bit of imagination that was meant to give inspiration. Meehan detailed an example where one child claimed to fly a six-wheeled rover around the playroom, but it didn't look like it was airborne. 

"I said, "Well, should we add wings to it?"And he said, "No, you don't need wings, they can just fly.""In his eyes, in his imagination, of course it could fly. It is in space."Creative thinking didn't stop there. "He said the only thing I want is more aliens. So we put more aliens on the set."

Aliens are, in fact, another recognizable theme throughout Lego space. As you explore the collection of sets, you'll find aliens crashing to Mars among meteorites, aliens propelled by steam-jet geysers, and aliens curiously hanging around the space science lab. (These neon green characters broke into the t-shirts that Meehan wore during our video call, but unfortunately, such shirts were sold)

Generation Alpha is predicted to be the first to meet aliens in their lifetime, according to research by the Lego Group. It will be. This may sound unthinkable to adults, but it seems possible to children. It said there are many Lego space sets, including several that have been jointly developed with NASA, offering practical specifications that more skilled space enthusiasts can understand.

In the design of the Mars Crew Exploration Rover (42180), the Meehan team wanted the set to be able to perform realistic space mission scenarios. They worked with NASA to determine what kind of energy source the researchers would need to survive on the rover for 60 days, and how that source would be stored on the rover — of course, scaling everything.

"Their days are real space exploration and we come with this idea for a cool toy," Meehan said. There are multiple examples where NASA proposed a change from a practical point of view and it took some iterations to get right, but the collaboration concluded an impressive set "NASA facts check it out and realize that we can make cool features out of it and it makes the model better for children and adults with LEGO Technic"

It is clear that brands take their responsibility to impress their children seriously. Playing with any 'open space toy' is one thing, but it arouses real interest to lead the younger generation towards important careers such as astronauts and other space-related roles.

"We want children to see the space as an endless playground for their imagination.Meehan said. "So they can leverage their creativity to show us what might really be there."""