About 500 seeds from various tree species were launched into space in 1971 that orbited the moon 34 times before returning to Earth, where they were then planted in various places around the world.
NASA has shared a map showing the locations of these ‘Moon Trees’, which are a total of 83 that are mainly found in the US, with two in South America and one in Europe.
The collection includes redwoods, Douglas fir, sycamore, sweet gum and loblolly pines, but about a third have died since it was planted in the 1970s.
The mission was part of Apollo 14, and while astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the moon, Stuart Roosa circled the top of the command module with the seeds contained in his personal equipment.
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NASA has shared a map showing the locations of these ‘Moon Trees’, which are a total of 83 that are mainly found in the US, with two in South America and one in Europe. Dr. Michele Tobias of the University of California Davis has made a detailed map of NASA’s Moon Trees (photo)
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 14 mission, the third to land on the moon and the first to land in the highlands of the moon.
During the mission, the seeds were classified and sorted, and the control seeds were kept on Earth for comparison.
The space seeds were placed in Rossa’s kit, but the canister burst open during the decontamination procedure after the crew returned to Earth, leaving many unusable for the experiment.
The resulting seedlings were planted across the United States (often as part of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976) and the world. They are a tribute to astronaut Roosa and the Apollo program, ‘NASA shared in a statement.
About 500 seeds from various tree species were launched into space in 1971 that orbited the moon 34 times before returning to Earth, where they were then planted in various places around the world. Depicted is a plane tree that sprouted from a ‘space seed’. It stands up and was planted at Mississippi State University in 1975
The mission was part of Apollo 14 and while astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the moon, Stuart Roosa orbited the top of the command module with the seeds contained in his personal equipment
Dr. Michele Tobias of the University of California Davis has made a detailed map of Moon Trees around the world.
“A few months ago, I heard Moon Trees was watching an episode of Huell Howser on KVIE Public Television and then visited the one on the California State Capitol grounds,” Tobias said in 2016.
“I later learned from my aunt that my grandfather was part of the telemetry crew retrieving the Apollo 14 mission that carried the seeds that would become the Moon Trees, so there is something of a connection to this idea.”
NASA placed the seeds under the care of the US Forest Service, which watched over them until they sprouted – but some were not planted until years after the mission.
NASA placed the seeds under the care of the US Forest Service, which watched over them until they sprouted – but some were not planted until years after the mission
In a telegram to the US Bicentennial Moon Tree planting ceremonies, then President Gerald Ford said, “ This tree carried by astronauts Stuart Roosa, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell on their mission to the moon is a living symbol of our spectacular human. and scientific achievements. ‘
“It is a fitting tribute to our national space program that has brought out the best of American patriotism, dedication and determination.”
Over the years, the public forgot about the trees, along with NASA, but former astronaut David Williams made it his personal mission in 1996 to find and catalog them all.
He started with a list of 22 Moon Trees and had tracked down 80, although of those 21 have died.
Three more were recently added to the list, bringing the total to 83, but a third is now dead.
However, William said the fate of many trees probably had nothing to do with their journey into space.
In a telegram to the US Bicentennial Moon Tree planting ceremonies, then President Gerald Ford said, “ This tree carried by astronauts Stuart Roosa, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell on their mission to the moon is a living symbol of our spectacular human. and scientific achievements
Compared to seeds that never shed, “there was no discernible difference at all, which is what everyone expected,” Williams told Atlas Obscura.
A Loblolly pine was planted in the White House and trees were planted in Brazil, Switzerland, and presented to the Emperor of Japan, among others.
Trees have also been planted in Washington Square in Philadelphia, in Valley Forge, in the International Forest of Friendship, and at several universities and NASA centers
Along with others at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
The first moon tree, a plane tree, was planted in 1974 at Camp Iti Kana, a recreation area used by Girl Scouts of Mississippi.
WHAT WAS THE APOLLO PROGRAM?
NASA photo taken on July 16, 1969 shows the huge, 363-foot high Apollo 11 Spacecraft 107 / Lunar Module S / Saturn 506) space vehicle launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), at 9:32 a.m. (EDT) ).
Apollo was the NASA program launched in 1961 that got the first human on the moon eight years later.
The first four flights tested the equipment for the Apollo program and six of the other seven flights landed on the moon.
The first manned mission to the moon was Apollo 8, which orbited it on Christmas Eve in 1968 but did not land.
The Apollo 9 crew spent ten days in orbit and completed the lunar module’s first manned flight – the portion of the Apollo rocket that would later land Neil Armstrong on the moon.
The Apollo 11 mission was the first to land on the moon on July 20, 1969.
The capsule landed on the Sea of Tranquility, with mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin.
Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Michael Collins remained in orbit around the moon.
When Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, he said, “That’s a small step for (a) man; one big leap for humanity. ‘
Apollo 12 landed on the Ocean of Storms later that year on Nov. 19, NASA writes.
Apollo 13 would be the third mission to land on the Moon, but just under 56 hours after the flight, an explosion from an oxygen tank forced the crew to cancel the lunar landing and go to the Aquarius lunar module to return to the Moon. soil.
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned lunar mission in the Apollo space program and was considered the most successful manned spaceflight up to that point due to its long duration and greater emphasis on scientific exploration than had been possible in previous missions.
The last Apollo moon landing took place in 1972 after a total of 12 astronauts landed on the lunar surface.
Astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin unpacks experiments from the Lunar Module on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Photographed by Neil Armstrong, July 20, 1969