Moon Tree Dedication with Artemis II Crew
Monika LuabeyaJun 06, 2024
WASHINGTON – NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, gathered at the United States Capitol on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, for a special Moon Tree dedication ceremony. The event marked the planting of an American Sweetgum tree that grew from a seed flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission.
Moon Trees have a rich history dating back to the Apollo 14 mission, when NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa took tree seeds into lunar orbit. In a tribute to the legacy of Apollo 14 and in anticipation of future space exploration with NASA’s Artemis Program, a new generation of Moon Tree seeds recently journeyed into lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft. These seeds traveled thousands of miles beyond the Moon, spending approximately 4 weeks in space before returning to Earth.
As part of this initiative, organizations from different parts of the United States will receive the seedlings and plant them in their local communities. This symbolic gesture not only honors the past achievements of space exploration but also represents a hopeful outlook towards the future of space travel and discovery.
The Moon Tree dedication ceremony with the Artemis II crew serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness between humanity and the cosmos. By planting these seeds on Earth, we are not only preserving a piece of space history but also sowing the seeds of inspiration for future generations to continue reaching for the stars.
Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani