LOCAL TALENT

TAKING UP SPACE

Mission possible: Leesburg students shooting for the moon.

STORY: JAMES COMBS ≈ PHOTOS: NICOLE HAMEL

iley McDowell cannot wait to launch her science project beyond the classroom laboratory and into outer space. It’s a dream come true for Riley, a 2020 graduate of The Villages Charter High School who has long dreamed about traveling through outer space and landing on the moon.

“This is so exciting to think about,” says Riley, who was crowned Junior Miss Leesburg in 2020. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Riley is one of many students participating in a project designed to spark interest in space exploration and elevate their pride in Leesburg.

Students from all public schools in Leesburg are creating a virtual City of Leesburg on the moon. They’ll design computerized images of buildings and streets and parks, write essays, and provide photos of their loved ones. Content they create will be stored onto a micro SD card with 2 trillion bytes.

In Spring 2021, the micro SD card will be placed aboard a rocket that will launch