Moon trees splash down on Earth

December 9, 2022

Experts train in a pool to recover portion of rocket so they are prepared to recover it when it splashes down in Pacific Ocean. — Experts from the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard practice Orion recovery techniques at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston because Orion (and the moon tree seeds) will return to Earth by splashing into the Pacific Ocean. NASA photo by James Blair.

WASHINGTON, DC—Sunday, Dec. 11, tiny passengers on board the Orion Spacecraft will make a splash landing in the Pacific Ocean, returning to Earth from the Artemis I Space Mission. Who are these passengers? Approximately 1,000 seeds from five tree species, provided to NASA by the USDA Forest Service.

Artemis rocket blasts off from space center. — *The Orion spacecraft launched on the Artemis I flight test Nov. 16. NASA photo by Keegan Barber.*

Since launching into space on Nov. 16, the seeds have travelled about 270,000 miles from Earth. That’s more than 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the moon, where no seed—or human—has gone before.

The Forest Service and NASA hope to captivate the public’s attention with these moon tree seeds and encourage interest in both space exploration and botany. The agency also intends to conduct research regarding the impact of rocket storage time on seed germination and growth.

The seeds also continue a legacy beginning over a half century ago when NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa carried the seeds of five tree species to space in his personal kit. Roosa, the command module pilot for the Apollo 14 mission, and a former smokejumper, orbited the moon 34 times with the seeds of loblolly pine, American sycamore, sweetgum, coast redwood and Douglas fir before returning to Earth. The Forest Service grew these moon trees into seedlings and disseminated them to dignitaries around the world.

For this generation of moon trees, scientists replaced coast redwood with its cousin, giant sequoia, a species with more widespread uses.

Once the seeds return, they’ll be sent to Forest Service seed nurseries and extractories, where they’ll be stored in a dormant state until they’re germinated in the spring. Public and education institutions across the U.S. can submit a proposal to serve as a moon tree custodian.

Tree seeds packaged so they can be launched into space. — *Moon tree seeds packed into their raviolis. USDA Forest Service photo by Kayla Herriman.*

Each seed endured rigorous testing to earn its place aboard the remotely operated spacecraft. They were then packaged in special “raviolis.”

NASA, the Forest Service and the Natural Inquirer have prepared many educational materials to support the Artemis Moon Trees Project, including a distance learning module and a Forest Service LIVE program. These free resources can be found at NASA’s Moon Trees Toolkit and Natural Inquirer Moon Trees website. Check these websites this spring to learn how you might help steward a moon tree.