Topeka children’s imaginations take flight at the Exploration Mars Space Camp

The open-mouthed “wow factor” that space travel creates was brought to children in East Topeka this week as part of a Space Camp that included meeting NASA professional Herb Baker and former NFL football player Joe Mays.

Kia McClain, a Topekan chosen last year to be a social media influencer for NASA’s Mars journey, reached out to the Neighborhood Opportunity for Wellness program to bring the space event to the Highland Park neighborhoods.

More than 100 kids showed up from the NOW initiative neighborhoods at Deer Creek, Pine Ridge Manor and Echo Ridge when the camp started this week, McClain said.

“(My favorite part of camp) has been trying on the space outfit from the astronaut that came out,” camper LaDaysha Baird said. “I like to dress up.”

The camp was supported by multiple agencies, McClain said, including United Way of Greater Topeka. In her work with NASA, McClain reached out to Baker, who retired from NASA after 42 years working in operation support, most often at the Johnson Space Center.

For Baker, it was a joy to share his love of NASA and space.

“My whole life almost has been involved with NASA,” he said, explaining that even before pursuing a career there, he went to middle school near Johnson and his friends had parents who went to space. His friends who were astronauts talk about the first time they were intrigued by the idea of becoming astronauts.

“There might be one kid here who gets to put that spacesuit on and it changes their lives,” Baker said. “That’s kind of what I’m hoping for.”

A real NASA spacesuit and the opportunity to try it on was just one of many events that occurred during the five-day evening camp.

For McClain, a social media expert, the camp gave her the chance to share her own excitement about her NASA connection with children, and she did so by reaching out to numerous partners. Two of those were Joe and Toiya Mays who own the Laya Center in Kansas City, Mo., a holistic spa that has been working with THA around community gardens and aquaponics.

One of the kids’ favorite events was when Toiya Mays showed them how knowledge of natural health can be used to create medicines and foods, McClain said. For instance, the kids were able to learn about making a natural cough medicine by putting elderberries in 90-proof alcohol or making “natural” Hawaiian Punch using hibiscus flowers.

Joe Mays shared about the rigorous training and healthy eating necessary to playing in the NFL, and how that same type of fitness would be important for astronauts, McClain said.

“The children were wonderful little “sponges” that were open to not only learning how technology relates to healthcare, but were intrigued by a healthier way of life,” Toiya Mays said. “We explained the importance of maintaining good eating habits and how eating fruits and veggies is a direct link to energy in a holistic way. They had fun showing us their “Pucker Faces” during the lime &energy test where we showed a video of the actual electricity currents that come from a Key lime.”

The Mays also helped set up a hibernation chamber simulator, where they created a small nook blocked off by cardboard and cooled by a portable cryotherapy machine the Laya Center uses.

“This cooled the room and made it similar to what astronauts would experience during a 4-8 month trip to Mars,” Toiya Mays said. “It was a huge hit!”

Although the official space camp portion of the event is over, McClain is working with the NOW program, United Way and THA to continue events weekly throughout the year.

“It’s the kick-off to major opportunities involving NASA, involving all of these partners that are at the table and just creating future opportunities for the children to go far beyond Topeka,” McClain said.

Online editor J.C. Reeves contributed to this report.