NASA has formed a partnership with New York startup LittleBits to introduce the Space Kit and get children involved in building gadgets.
The kit was designed by NASA scientists and engineers to teach scientific principles about kinetic, electromagnetic and potential energy, according to CNET.
The Space Kit also teaches robotics, astronomy, physics and wireless data transmission. It includes five NASA lesson plans, 12 modules, and 10 hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) activities.
The kit costs $189, re/code reported. The year-and-a-half-long partnership between NASA and Littlebits started when the space agency contacted the startup about developing a project to bolster interest in science and exploration.
"It's very important to NASA and our education and outreach efforts to come up with new and exciting ways to engage that next generation of scientists and engineers," said Ginger Butcher, a public outreach lead for NASA.
The 12 modules include three new ones- a number/counting module, an infrared LED and a remote trigger. Customers can buy the modules separately and use them with any LittleBits kit, CNET reported.
"With the days-old discovery of Earth-like planet Kepler-186f, SpaceX's successful docking at the International Space Station, recent evidence of the Big Bang, and the introduction of Neil deGrasse Tyson's new 'Cosmos' documentary, space is more than ever at the center of the cultural conversation," said Ayah Bdeir, CEO of LittleBits.
The projects also include a mini Mars Rover, a scaled-down satellite dish and a wave generator, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"We try to sense the pulse of society and figure out the fields that people are interested in, but also a bit of - engineering, music, space," Bdeir said in reference to working with NASA. "Collaborators like Korg and NASA help us do that, help us show that these fields don't have to be intimidating."
The Space Kit is now on sale and will appear on Amazon and different retail stores by the end of the month, re/code reported.
"Whether you're a retired engineer, a professional maker or a student, LittleBits creates this really powerful platform for you to invent, with infinite possibilities," Bdeir said. "The vision of the company is to put electronics into everyone's hands."
