Moon tree

Bicentennial Moon Tree, planted in 1975 in Washington Square, Philadelphia
Moon Tree in front of Sebastian County Courthouse, in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Certificate of Authenticity of the Moon Tree in Piedmont, South Carolina.
Moon Tree in Piedmont, South Carolina, 1980s
Moon Tree, Waycross, Georgia
Sycamore Moon Tree, planted in 1976 at Core Creek Park, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Moon trees are trees grown from seeds taken into orbit around the Moon, initially by Apollo 14 in 1971, and later by Artemis 1 in 2022.[1] The idea was first proposed by Edward P. Cliff, then the Chief of the United States Forest Service, who convinced Stuart Roosa, the Command Module Pilot on the Apollo 14 mission, to bring a small canister containing about 500 seeds aboard the module in 1971. Seeds for the experiment were chosen from five species of tree: loblolly pine, sycamore, sweetgum, redwood, and Douglas fir.[2][3] In 2022, NASA announced it would be reviving the Moon tree program by carrying 1,000 seeds aboard Artemis 1.[4]

  1. ^ Kelly, John (23 September 2023). "In 1971, tree seeds orbited the moon. Now they grow on Earth". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Race Against Time to Find Apollo 14's Lost Voyagers: 'Moon Trees'". Science Daily. February 10, 2011.
  3. ^ Black, Richard (19 July 2005). "Trees... from the Moon". BBC News.
  4. ^ "NASA, USDA Forest Service Fly Next Generation of Moon Tree Seeds on Artemis I". NASA. August 18, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.