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.
Let's be real, who wouldn't want to be Barbie?
This weekend you can live out those doll-sized dreams in real life as D.C. restaurants, bars, and more begin to transform into a world of pink and glitter in anticipation of the upcoming release of the new Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie.
As Barbie herself would say, "You can be anything." So go ahead and get out of your comfort zone by trying something new on our list.