NASA and LEGO Celebrated 50th Anniversary of Earth Day With "Build a Planet" Challenge

"We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth."

These are the words uttered by Bill Anders, Apollo 8 astronaut, who took the famous photo of Earthrise that provided the push Earthlings needed to celebrate the first Earth Day back in 1970. 

This iconic photo of Earth as seen by the Moon united a generation into appreciating the fragile beauty of our planet, and thousands would assemble over the years to protect our beautiful planet for future generations. 

Today, COVID-19 might have separated us from each other, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate. NASA and LEGO announced a new "Build a Planet" challenge to celebrate the 50th annual Earth Day — thereby, helping families to celebrate this important day during lockdowns.

Earthlings, assemble! ?

We’ve teamed up with @LEGO_Group to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and we have a challenge for you: BUILD YOUR OWN PLANET! Share your creations using #LetsBuildTogether and #EarthDayAtHome so we can see your masterpieces! pic.twitter.com/PEg4ztxq0a

— NASA (@NASA) April 22, 2020

SEE ALSO: 13 ECO-FRIENDLY VICTORIES TO CELEBRATE SINCE THE FIRST EARTH DAY

As a reminder that space exploration is a vital component of appreciating and protecting our planet, NASA and LEGO shared images on social media of several planets assembled from the notorious toy bricks.

Every solar system needs a Sun! On top of providing heat & light, Earth is affected by the Sun’s magnetic activity, like the eruption depicted here! Understanding the Sun-Earth connection is one of the big reasons we study our star. #LetsBuildTogether #EarthDayAtHome @LEGO_Group pic.twitter.com/WoeBwrmBZh

— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) April 22, 2020

This effort is the next stop of the #LetsBuildTogether challenges where LEGO promotes learning through playing at home.

For #EarthDayAtHome, some of our friends are joining in with @LEGO_Group’s #LetsBuildTogether challenge, with representations of our home planet ? and its place in space✨. pic.twitter.com/olYnAtMbFF

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) April 22, 2020

The companies encouraged the children and families to share their planetary LEGO creations online.

Here are some of our favorite creations that we thought deserved a mention!

1. Earth, Moon, and Sun who is wearing very stylish sunglasses

@NASAEarth @LEGO_Group here is my daughters planet challenge :) #LetsBuildTogether pic.twitter.com/48xvMTZxs2

— Renée Lane (@reneelane12) April 22, 2020

2. Dianne's rotating Sun and Earth

My LEGO Orrery in honor of Earth Day! #LetsBuildTogether #EarthDayAtHome #EarthDay50 pic.twitter.com/2MpDjY5cP2

— Dianne (@dws118) April 23, 2020

3. Our stunning Earth

#LetsBuildTogether pic.twitter.com/B2aWOV7bXw

— Stefan Holm (@scholm240) April 22, 2020

4. Not a planet, but worth a mention

pic.twitter.com/3K2E7B6gjp

— Artem.Kulykov (@ArtemKulykov) April 22, 2020

5. This exoplanet-look-alike

Created Glacio from @astroneergame, gates and wrecks included #LetsBuildTogether #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/uPFTA1gHes

— mike (@rangedtrooper) April 22, 2020

6. This amazing rainbow-road-planet

A beautiful place to be on this #EarthDayAtHome is “Rainbow Road,” created by Hank, 7, and Kate C., 5. #LetsBuildTogether pic.twitter.com/bZ6zbLOOri

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) April 22, 2020

7. Multicolored planet Cleo and Rocky the Rocket? Love it

@LEGO_Group Today our kids (4 + 6) discovered a new, multicolored planet: Cleo! It’s currently being visited by a rocket called Rocky the Rocket. #LetsBuildTogether #EarthDayAtHome pic.twitter.com/NF2Uvh5yuG

— Jackie (@verbaltangerine) April 22, 2020

8. A planet with impressive rings

Happy Earth Day! Such a great challenge #HappyEarthDay #LetsBuildTogether #EarthDayAtHome #creativity #LEGO pic.twitter.com/WdwWOh4iDJ

— ⅅεⓈℏℯé (@kristinadeshee) April 23, 2020

9. Kian's shallow lagoon next to a vegetated island

Six-year-old Kian made a @LEGO_Group shallow lagoon next to a heavily vegetated island for #EarthDayAtHome... #Landsat has been keeping watch over Earth’s landmasses and coastal waters since 1972! #LetsBuildTogether pic.twitter.com/Cq00ukxV7E

— NASA Landsat Program (@NASA_Landsat) April 22, 2020