LEGO is set to launch its newest fan-created model, a replica of NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover, on New Year’s Day 2014. The program that made this new LEGO set possible is called LEGO CUUSOO, meaning “imagination” or “wish” in Japanese. The CUUSOO initiative allows anyone to submit a LEGO project for peer review. If the model gets 10,000 supporters, it goes before a LEGO review board, and one winning project is selected per quarter to go into production. Stephen Pakbaz, a mechanical engineer who actually worked on the NASA rover, submitted the most recent winning CUUSOO model to further educational outreach of the Curiosity mission, and encourage greater support for space exploration. The CUUSOO initiative has been a great way for LEGO to increase involvement and social media sharing of its brand. Read more here.