‘To the moon and back:’ Seeds from moon mission planted in Pike County

Say the words “to the moon and back” in today’s society and the reference is, most often, from mother to child. “I love you to the moon and back.”

However, “to the moon and back” began as a tree story.

The story as told is that “Moon Trees” are the result of seedlings that were planted throughout the United States, first, as a part of the nation’s 1976 Bicentennial as a living legacy of the Apollo space program. These special trees grew from seeds that traveled the unknown space “to the moon and back.”

During the Apollo 14 mission in 1971, astronaut Stuart Roosa, carried around 500 tree seeds in his personal kit while he orbited the moon. The seeds included redwood, loblolly pines, sycamores, Douglas firs and sweet gums.

The seeds stayed in Roosa’s possession until splashdown on February 9, 1971.

Hundreds of trees were germinated from the seeds Roosa carried “to the moon and back.”

Much of the history of the Moon trees faded until Artemis 1, NASA’s first flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in November and December 2022.

In honor of Apollo 14, 2,000 tree seeds were carried aboard the Orion as it traveled “to the moon and back.” These seeds provide the potential for a new generation of Moon Trees more than 50 years after the first.

According to NASA’s record, 23 states have living moon trees. Included two at the Pioneer Museum of Alabama and one at the Troy University Arboretum.

Barbara Tatom, museum director, said the museum’s loblolly pine is one of the 500 seeds taken to orbit the moon during Apollo 14 mission on January 31,1971, by astronaut Stuart Roosa, who had been a forester.

“Astronaut Roosa wanted to see if there was anything in the moon’ environment that would affect the germination of seeds,” Tatom said.”

After returning Earth, the seeds were sent to the U.S. Forest Service institute of Forest Genetics in Gulfport, Mississippi for germination and research.

Tatom said the Pioneer Museum of Alabama’s particular “moon tree” as presented to the museum on August 5, 1976 by Chairman G.A. Gibbs of the Alabama Forestry Commission.

The museum director said the museum’s board of directors was recently a seedling that was one of the

The Pioneer Museum of Alabama is doubly honored to have two “moon trees” on its grounds.

Hundreds of trees were germinated from the seeds Roosa brought back from “the moon and back.”

The Moon Trees popularity had almost faded into history until Artemis 1, NASA’s first test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in November-December 2022.

In honor of Apollo, 14,200 tree seeds were carried aboard the Orion as it traveled beyond the moon and back, providing the potential for a new generation of Moon Trees, more than 50 years after the first.

Troy University has received a “Moon Tree” seedling and it has been planted at Troy University’s Arboretum.

Dr. Alvin Diamond, Troy University biology professor and director of the Arboretum, said the university has a plan for how to use the in different interactions tailored to varying age groups.

“For the younger kids to actually have something that has been to outer space that they can see and touch will hopefully inspire them to look into STEM careers,” he said. “With the older students, we can look things about how space travel affect the human body and other living thing an what we can do to protect people in space. Hopefully, having something hands-on-will inspire the students more than just reading a book.”

The Troy University Arboretum is located on the university grounds at 101 Pell Avenue.

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