About 500 seeds of different tree species were launched into space in 1971 that orbited the moon 34 times before returning to Earth, where it was then planted in various locations around the world.
NASA shared a map showing the locations of these ‘lunar trees’, which are a total of 83 living mainly in the US, with two in South America and one in Europe.
The collection contains rooibos wood, Douglasspar, wild fig trees, sweet gums and lobbolines, 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 orbited above in the command module with the seeds containing his personal kit.
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NASA shared a map showing the locations of these ‘lunar trees’, which are a total of 83 living mainly in the US, with two in South America and one in Europe. Dr. Michele Tobias of the University of California Davis made a detailed map of NASA’s Moon Trees (photo).
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 14 mission, which was the third on the moon and the first in the lunar highlands.
During the mission, the seeds were classified and sorted, and control seeds were kept on earth to be a comparison.
The space seed was placed in Rossa’s kit, but the container burst open during the disinfection procedure after the crew returned to Earth, leaving much useless for the experiment.
‘The seedlings that result from it have been planted throughout the United States (often as part of the country’s biennial existence in 1976) and the world. They stand as a tribute to astronaut Roosa and the Apollo program, ‘NASA shared in a statement.
About 500 seeds of different tree species were launched into space in 1971 that orbited the moon 34 times before returning to Earth, where it was then planted in various locations around the world. Pictured is a wild fig emerging from a ‘space seed’. It stands up was planted in 1975 at Mississippi State University
The mission was part of Apollo 14 and while astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the moon, Stuart Roosa orbited above in the command module with the seeds sitting in his personal kit.
Dr. Michele Tobias of the University of California Davis has created a detailed map of lunar trees around the world.
“A few months ago, I learned how Moon Trees watched an episode of Huell Howser on KVIE Public Television and then visited the one at the Capitol site in California,” Tobias said in 2016.
“I later learned from my aunt that my grandfather was part of the telemetry crew that got the Apollo 14 mission that carried the seeds that would become the moon trees, so there is something related to this idea.”
NASA placed the seeds in the care of the US Forest Service, which guarded them until they germinated – but some were only planted years after the mission.
NASA placed the seeds in the care of the US Forest Service, which guarded them until they germinated – but some were only planted years after the mission.
In a telegram to the US biennial lunar 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 to succeed.”
Over the years, however, the public along with NASA forgot about the trees, 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 lunar trees and tracked down 80, although 21 died there.
Recently, three more were added to the list, bringing the total to 83, but a third are now dead.
William, however, said that the fate of many trees probably had nothing to do with their journey to space.
In a telegram to the US biennial lunar 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 sprouted, ‘there was no noticeable difference at all, that’s what one would expect,’ 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, at Valley Forge, in the International Forest of Friendship, and at various universities and NASA centers.
With others at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
The first moon tree, a plane tree, was planted in 1974 in Camp Iti Kana, a recreational area used by Girl Scouts of Mississippi.
WHAT WAS THE APOLLO PROGRAM?
NASA photo taken on July 16, 1969 shows the enormous, 363 foot long Apollo 11 Spacecraft 107 / Lunar Module S / Saturn 506) launched from Road A, Launch Complex 39. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), at 9:32 am (EDT).
Apollo was the NASA program launched in 1961 and got the first man on the moon eight years later.
The first four flights tested the equipment for the Apollo program and six of the other seven flights managed to land on the moon.
The first manned mission to the moon was Apollo 8, which circled around it on Christmas Eve 1968 but did not land.
The crew of Apollo 9 orbited the earth for ten days, completing the first manned flight of the lunar module – the portion of the Apollo rocket that would land Neil Armstrong later 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 Rust, 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, ‘This is one small step for (a) human being; one giant leap for mankind. ‘
Apollo 12 landed on the ocean of storms later that year on November 19, NASA writes.
Apollo 13 would be the third mission to land on the moon, but just under 56 hours in flight, an explosion through an oxygen tank forced the crew to cancel the lunar landing and move to the Waterman lunar module to return to earth.
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned lunar mission in the Apollo space program and was considered the most successful manned spaceflight to date due to its long duration and greater emphasis on scientific reconnaissance than was possible on previous missions.
The last lunar landing of Apollo took place in 1972 after a total of 12 astronauts touched the lunar surface.
Astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin tackles experiments from the Lunar Module on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Photographed by Neil Armstrong, July 20, 1969