Lego my space station

Deirdre Newman

When NASA astronauts finally make it to Mars, they will want to have

Newport Beach resident Jake Dayton on board.

Jake, 11, recently transformed a passion for Legos and science-fiction

savoir-faire into an intricate model -- the Mars Survival Outpost Odyssey

-- as part of the Lego Survival Challenge building contest.

He was selected Sept. 10 as a semifinalist out of 2,000 entries and

will be one of six to compete in the championship build-off Dec. 8 at the

Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Jake, who has been working with Legos since the age other children are

learning to walk, oozes with confidence about his prospects in a contest

in which the competitors will have no idea what Lego elements they will

receive or what they will have to build until the competition begins.

“I feel prepared,” Jake said. “It’s kind of easy for me to build these

things.”

The detailed design of Jake’s model, which took a month to construct,

looks like a set from Star Wars. A 13-inch robot towers over the outpost,

which is protected with shield generators on the borders and includes

rocket launchers, land rovers, a control tower and a satellite facility.

Little Lego men are situated in various locations, directing traffic,

working on the vehicles and getting ready for takeoff.

While Jake says he’s not an expert on Mars, he knows enough essentials

to incorporate them into his Lego design.

“I know it’s cold there and there’s a lot of dangerous storms. That’s

why I put the shield generators in,” Jake said.

Jake’s mom said she wasn’t surprised when her youngest son took to

Legos like a fish to water when he was barely a year old. Older brother,

Patrick, paved the way with his interest in Legos.

“We always had Legos around,” said Shirley Dayton. “Anything [Jake]

could put his hands on, he would put things together. Eventually, they

would get more sophisticated.”

Dayton said she was talking to a friend about Jake’s Lego obsession

when she found out about the contest. She thought it would be a great way

to channel Jake’s interest in a hobby he spends a sizable amount of time

on.

“It could be a lifetime career for him,” Dayton acknowledged.

So she was excited when her son’s efforts earned the highest marks in

creativity, originality and best use of Lego bricks.

“It’s something I think he deserves because he really enjoys it,” she

said.

And his reward?

Even more Legos.

In addition to the Florida trip, Jake received the entire Lego Life on

Mars product assortment and a commemorative plaque that includes a Lego

alien mini-figure that was used in an experiment on board the

International Space Station.

That should keep Jake busy for another month, at least.

-- Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .