Two space-flown astronaut Barbie dolls are on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
Author: Sarah Fredrickson (WUSA)
Published: 8:06 PM EDT July 18, 2023
Updated: 7:33 AM EDT July 19, 2023
WASHINGTON — Two astronaut Barbies are going on display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The dolls were donated to the museum after returning from the International Space Station (ISS).
The dolls were sent up aboard an Antares rocket in February 2022. Mattel Inc., the toy brand owner of Barbie, partnered with the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab on Mission DreamStar to visit the station complete with a full tour including the Cupola, ISS’ observation module, Veggie Garden, and Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer (Melfi), along with an introduction to the ISS’ free-flying robots, the Astrobees.
The Barbies were sent to space as a part of a mission to encourage young girls to pursue careers as astronauts and space scientists.
The museum has three other Barbies on display: Miss Astronaut from 1965, Astronaut Barbie from 1985 and Moon Landing Barbie from 1994. The Astronaut Barbies have a long history and their astronaut spacesuits have changed throughout history to depict a more realistic vision of a woman astronaut.