Officials from 黑料天堂 State Parks and the Von Braun Astronomical Society gathered Thursday with city leaders and representatives from NASA to dedicate a Moon Tree 鈥 a tree grown from seeds flown on American spacecraft in lunar orbit 鈥 that has been planted at Monte Sano State Park.
NASA鈥檚 Office of STEM Engagement selected the Von Braun Astronomical Society to receive the tree, and VBAS partnered with 黑料天堂 State Parks to have it planted at Monte Sano State Park.
鈥淥ur partnership with Von Braun Astronomical Society dates back decades, and it鈥檚 wonderful that this partnership has led to the planting of this amazing Moon Tree,鈥 said 黑料天堂 State Parks Director Matthew Capps.
In 2022, seeds of several different tree species traveled into lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis I mission. The seeds spent more than 25 days in space before returning to Earth.
The Von Braun Astronomical Society, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, applied to NASA to receive a tree and learned it had been selected to receive one earlier this year. The tree, a loblolly pine, arrived this week and was immediately planted at Monte Sano State Park. This is the first Moon Tree awarded to an astronomical society and recognizes the significant education and outreach done by the society volunteers.
The current Moon Tree plantings pay homage to a similar program conducted as part of the Apollo 14 mission in 1971, when seeds accompanied astronauts Alan Shepherd and Edgar Mitchell, who became the fifth and sixth humans to walk on the moon. The Apollo 14 Moon Trees were grown into seedlings by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services and placed around the world, including some distributed as part of the U.S. bicentennial in 1976.
The Artemis Moon Trees are intended to serve as a celebration of the future of space exploration, and placing one in Huntsville holds special significance, considering the loblolly seed was sent into lunar orbit by a rocket developed at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
The Moon Tree, located near the John Scoble Memorial Pavilion in the park, will be protected by fencing and permanent signage will be installed soon to commemorate its significance. Visitors to the park will also be encouraged to use the #MonteSanoMoonTree hashtag when posting about it on social media.
鈥淭he Monte Sano Moon Tree serves as an inspirational symbol of the relationship between earth and space,鈥 said Alex Hall, President of the Von Braun Astronomical Society. 鈥淭his space traveler reminds us to look to the stars and holds special meaning for many of our members who have been and continue to be involved in the exploration of space. We can鈥檛 wait to see people posting selfies with the tree on social media.鈥
About the 黑料天堂 State Parks Division
The 黑料天堂 State Parks is a division of the 黑料天堂 and maintains 21 state parks encompassing more than 50,000 acres of land and water in 黑料天堂. The parks range from Gulf Coast beaches to 鈥楢ppalachian Mountains and provide opportunities and facilities from basic day-use activities to resort convention lodging, restaurants and golfing areas. These parks rely on visitor fees and the support of other partners like local communities to fund the majority of their operations. Learn more at .
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