Barbie goes zero-gravity! European Space Agency sends a doll of astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on a zero-g flight to encourage more children to consider careers in STEM

 A Barbie doll designed to look like European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, has been sent on a zero-gravity flight. 

The trip on the 'vomit comet', which provides 20 seconds of near-weightless as the plane enters freefall before pulling up again, marks the start of World Space Week. 

This years theme is 'Women in Space,' and the Barbie brand hopes to encourage girls to become the next generation of astronauts, engineers and space scientists.

The doll will join Cristoforetti when she travels to the International Space Station in 2022, where the Italian astronaut will become its first female European commander.

The stunt comes after recent studies have shown women are still underrepresented in STEM careers, despite significant moves to encourage take-up.

Mattel, makers of Barbie, said part of the proceeds of the new doll of Cristoforetti will fund a Women in Aerospace bursary, supporting a woman studying STEM. 

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A Barbie doll designed to look like European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, has been sent on a zero-gravity flight 

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The trip on the 'vomit comet', which provides 20 seconds of near-weightless as the plane enters freefall before pulling up again, marks the start of World Space Week 

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This years theme is 'Women in Space,' and the Barbie brand hopes to encourage girls to become the next generation of astronauts, engineers and space scientists  where she will be station commander.

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Research from 2019, and shared by Barbie, has shown that even at a young age girls say they are least confident in their maths skills while at school 

Research shows that starting at age 5, many girls develop self-limiting beliefs and begin to think they're not as smart and capable as boys. They stop believing their gender can do or be anything. 

Barbie launched the Dream Gap Project in 2018, an ongoing global initiative that gives girls the resources and support they need to continue believing in themselves.

The Barbie/ESA partnership was forged after research in the UK found four out of ten parents believed they may be holding their daughter back from entering or learning about this type of career, due to their own lack of wisdom in this area. 

A third did not believe there are enough positive role models in space and STEM-related fields for girls, and 70 per cent agreed that achievements of females in space needed to be given more of an equal footing to those of their male counterparts.

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To celebrate this world space week, the look alike doll departed from the ESA base in Germany. It travelled on a Zero-gravity flight, modelling the preparation and experience of a real-life astronaut 

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When Mattel first produced the Cristoforetti Barbie doll, it was a one-of-a-kind, but thanks to demand, is now available across Europe 

WHAT IS THE RESEARCH  BEHIND 'ASTRONAUT BARBIE'?

Barbie commissioned research in the UK in June 2019, to understand parental attitudes and knowledge around Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects.

The firm wanted to see if it could be a limiting factor, including being a possible barrier, to girls entering space jobs such as astronauts, engineers and space scientists.

The survey of 2,000 British parents of girls aged 3-10 explored how much knowledge parents have about space and their awareness of STEM-related careers and role models that exist within the space industry. 

It showed that 80 per cent of parents admit to lack of knowledge and four in 10 admit they may be holding their daughter back from entering or learning about this type of career, due to their own lack of wisdom in this area. 

Furthermore, Child Psychologist Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, who consulted Barbie around key elements of the study, fears that a lack of parental knowledge about STEM careers and role models could be “cutting their child’s dreams short, before they have even got off the ground.” 

Despite a lack of knowledge – which eight in 10 parents openly admit to – 69 per cent want to know more about space and STEM-related careers to help inform their children. 

And a third claim their young daughter already shows interest in wanting to pursue a job which is related to space, science or technology.

The study found eight in 10 parents are passionate about knowing how to encourage their daughter’s dreams, but 58 per cent said if she wanted to become an astronaut, they would not know how to proceed.