NASA astronauts Victor Glover (left), Reid Wiseman (middle left), and Christina Koch (middle right), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen (right), pose for a photo after a Moon Tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree pictured was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission.
Moon Trees originated with the Apollo 14 mission, when NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa carried tree seeds into lunar orbit. In a nod to the legacy of Apollo 14, and a celebration of the future of space exploration with NASA’s Artemis Program, a “new generation” of Moon Tree seeds traveled into lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft. The seeds travelled thousands of miles beyond the Moon, spending about 4 weeks in space before returning to Earth. Organizations from across the United States will receive the seedlings and plant them in their communities.
Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani