Moon Trees: The Seeds That Went to Space
Scattered throughout the United States is a collection of trees that once orbited the moon.
BRIT Collections
Botanical Research Institute of Texas | Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Mission: Apollo-Saturn 14, January 31–February 9, 1971: Lunar module, Antares, on lunar surface from: NASA: A Quarter Century of Space Exploration Mission: Apollo-Saturn 14, January 31–February 9, 1971: Lunar module, Antares, on lunar surface from: NASA: A Quarter Century of Space Exploration (1971) by Alan B. Shepard, Jr.The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Apollo 14
In 1971, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the moon. Inside the command module was Stuart Roosa, observing and assisting with their moonwalk. His personal kit held a surprising tiny package… 500 tree seeds.
LIFE Photo Collection
These seeds would exit the Earth's atmosphere, orbit the moon, return to Earth, and then be planted and grown in different places across the United States. Quite a journey for a tree!
LIFE Photo Collection
Forest Service mission
Stuart Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper, carried seeds to the moon during Apollo 14 at the suggestion of Forest Service Chief Ed Cliff. The mission aimed to highlight the agency’s work while taking the seeds on an extraordinary journey to the moon and back.
The Apollo 14 mission carried to the moon seeds of five different species of trees: Sycamore, Loblolly pine, Douglas fir, Redwood, and Sweetgum.
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After returning to Earth, the seeds were taken into the care of the Forest Service and germinated in Houston and Mississippi. The project received disappointingly little fanfare, and the trees were quietly planted throughout the United States with a few making their way abroad.
Most of the trees were planted in 1976 by state forestry services in celebration of the United States bicentennial.
After the trees were planted, most people forgot about them.
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Rediscovered
In 1996, a third grade class taught by Joan Goble in Indiana noticed a moon tree and a commemorative plaque at the Indiana Statehouse. Goble contacted NASA for more information, but most of the current employees had never heard of the trees!
Moon Tree, Keystone Heights, Florida
This American Sycamore (Platanus occidentialis) was planted on the grounds of the Keystone Heights Public Library.
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Street view of the moon tree at Keystone Heights Public Library, Florida.
Moon Tree, Waycross, Georgia
With the internet becoming nearly ubiquitous in 1996, NASA posted an appeal on their website: they asked for the public to help find the moon trees. They were able to use this information to generate a list of the tree distribution.
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Since compiling a list from the public, about 100 trees have been located, however 30 of them have died or been cut down.
Moon Tree, Sebastian County, Arkansas
Some moon trees were planted next to seeds of the same species that had not travelled to space, as a sort of control to see if they developed any differently. Although there has been no official or elaborate study on the seeds, microgravity has not had a noticeable effect.
LIFE Photo Collection
Plants in space
As astronauts undertake increasingly longer and further space missions, concerns about proper nutrition arise. Freeze dried food, which makes up the bulk of an astronaut’s diet, loses nutrients over time.
LIFE Photo Collection
The International Space Station is host to gardens conducting experiments on plant growth in space. If plants can be successfully grown in space, far-reaching explorations will be more possible.
Plant specimen (2014-05-08) by NASABRIT Collections
Vegetable Production System
Steve Swanson, NASA astronaut and Expedition 39 flight engineer, installed the Vegetable Production System in the Columbus module. The Vegetable Production System is a small garden on the space station.
Plants inside the leaf chamber of the LADA green house during Expedition 12 (2006-01-24)NASA
Enhancing astronauts' diets
As well as improving diets, the garden also allows a study of plant growth in microgravity. Special consideration is taken to make sure the roots get the proper amount of water as fluids can form bubbles in microgravity.
Dr. Hyeon-Hye Kim places Arabidopsis plants in a plant growth chamber for testing under various light conditions.NASA
Without gravity, plants need orientation to grow in the correct direction, so an LED light is placed to guide them.
Megan McArthur and the Advanced Plant Habitat on the International Space Station (2021-09-10) by NASA/Megan McArthurBRIT Collections
Advanced Plant Habitat
Megan McArthur, NASA astronaut and Expedition 65 Flight Engineer, works on the Advanced Plant Habitat, which was growing Hatch Green chiles as an experiment.
Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) (2017-03-16) by NASANASA
The Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) is host to another experiment studying plant growth in space. APH was first placed on the space station in 2018. Plants that grow in APH are carried to Earth for studies in how space affects them.
Plant specimen (2021-05-28) by NASABRIT Collections
Artemis 1 Mission
Packages of 1,000 seeds from 5 different tree species travelled aboard the Artemis 1 mission. Artemis 1 was in space for 4 weeks, from 16 November until 11 December 2022. The seeds will be germinated by the U.S. Forest Service and then planted throughout the United States.
Moon tree, Goddard Space Center, Florida
They may look ordinary, but the moon trees have something special about them - a sheen that feels magical. Only a few people have walked on the moon; the last moonwalk was in 1972.
The trees have been someplace almost no one has. And now they are back among us, quietly growing.
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Because the moon tree project did not create a list of the location of all the trees, NASA recognizes there may be more moon trees of which they are unaware. Contact NASA if you discover an undocumented moon tree.
Story created by Alyssa Kosyaem, Philecology Herbarium, Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
References:
Koren, M. We Almost Forgot About the Moon Trees. The Atlantic. 31 January 2022. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/01/nasa-moon-trees-apollo/621395/
United States Department of Agriculture. To Infinity and Beyond: Project Moon Tree, Take II. Forest Service U.S. Department of Agriculture blog. https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/apply/infinity-and-beyond-project-moon-tree-take-ii
Zuckerman, C. Trees That Travelled to Space Now LIve on Earth. Here’s Where to Find Them. National Geographic. 8 July 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/moon-trees-that-traveled-to-space-now-live-on-earth-where-are-they-now
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