📋 NASA Plants Seeds of the Artemis Generation with "Moon Trees" Nationwide
NASA shares "Moon Tree" seedlings with chosen organizations nationwide. These seeds journeyed around the Moon.
NASA's Traveling Moon Tree Seeds Ready to Grow
NASA recently finished choosing communities across the US to receive some special tree seeds! These seeds took a trip around the moon thanks to NASA's Artemis I launch last year.
They looked at a bunch of applications from zoos, parks, schools and more. NASA wanted groups that would take good care of the seeds and help educate others about them. Now the seeds just need to be planted!
Notifications started going out this spring to the lucky recipients. Then more will be contacted in late 2024, early 2025 and again in late 2025. Some big names like the White House and White Oak High School (alma mater of astronaut Christina Koch) made the list.
Since returning from space, the seeds have been resting with the USDA. Now it's time for them to sprout roots in their new earthly homes. As NASA leader Bill Nelson said - these "Moon trees" will inspire creativity for generations to come. Pretty neat that people all over the US will get to see the seeds' journey first hand as the trees take shape.
NASA Gets Communities Involved With Special "Moon Trees"
Some really cool lunar-traveled seeds are ready to become trees here on Earth thanks to NASA and the Forest Service. Called “Moon Trees”, these seeds were flown around the moon on the Artemis I mission!Mike Kincaid of NASA STEM Engagement said these trees will inspire future students no matter where they grow up. Kids everywhere will get to learn how seeds made it to space and back. NASA is partnering with nearly 50 schools, parks and other places across the US to plant them.
The seeds include types of trees like pine, fir and sequoia. Pretty neat to think how far they’ve come already! Forest Service leader Randy Moore hopes the Moon Trees will be around for centuries.
To share this journey, NASA will host quarterly online meetups starting this summer. Planting areas can find resources to teach kids the story behind these special trees. You can visit NASA STEM online to keep up with more awesome space-related learning activities too. It should be really rewarding to watch these saplings that spent time in orbit take root!