Astronaut On Space Station To Speak With Loudoun High Schoolers

LEESBURG, VA — An astronaut onboard the International Space Station will speak with Heritage High School students on Tuesday. The Earth-to-space call is part of the Plant The Moon challenge.

The call, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, will involve students on Heritage High School's Plant The Moon challenge team.

The Plant the Moon challenge encourages middle and high school students to participate in experiments that could assist astronauts when they conduct manned missions on Mars or the Moon.

Flight engineer Loral O'Hara will answer students' questions on Tuesday's call.

"It is very exciting for my students participating in the Plant the Moon challenge to speak to Astronaut O’Hara on the International Space Station," said Amy Goodyear, a science teacher who leads the Plant the Moon challenge at Heritage High School. "I couldn't be prouder of my students and how they step up to meet challenges like Plant the Moon, and grateful to have the support of the Heritage High School administration, allowing students to participate in these innovative programs - reaching for the stars!"

Tuesday's event is being hosted by the Virginia Space Consortium. Students will learn about what it's like to live and work in space and how to integrate space research into their everyday lives.

Jeff Adam is the principal at Heritage High School.

"Anytime we can provide students with authentic, real-world experiences, we do. The Plant the Moon project is an example of this because it allows students to put their learning into practice." Adam said. “Students will be making connections that could influence their educational and career pathways and their understanding of what is possible. Plus, talking to astronauts is just really cool!"

Anyone interested in tuning in for the Earth-to-space call can watch online on NASA's website. The call is expected to begin around 1:05 p.m. on Tuesday. Loudoun school officials noted that the time could change "due to the fluid nature of space flight."