Where Are Our "Moon Trees"? Third Graders Want to Know

From the Feb. 17, 2011, USA Today "NASA launches search for 'moon trees' by Elizabeth Weise.

Forty years ago, several hundred tree seeds made a trip to the moon on the Apollo 14 module in 1971 in a part experiment and part public relations campaign to see what effect a space flight had upon their ability to sprout.

Astronaut Stuart Roosa had a soda can-size kit with 500 seeds from different trees. When the 14 returned, the Forest Service oversaw the planting of the seeds along with ones that hadn't gone up. About 450 of the space seeds sprouted.

By 1975, they were large enough to transplant and over the next several years, they were shipped out to be planted in parks, on state capitol grounds, schools, government buildings and especially in honor of the nation's bicentennial.

NASA has begun tracking them down because of the Apollo 14's anniversary and the fact that many of the trees have lived their normal lifespan of roughly 40 years.

They might have been forgotten entirely had it not been for Joan Gobel's third grade class at Cannelton Elementary School in Cannelton, Indiana, back in 1996. While doing a tree project, one of her students remembered that at a local Girl Scout camp there was a "Moon Tree." They contacted NASA and at first were told "Never heard of them." But then NASA did some research and "remembered."

Since 1996, 79 of the "Moon Trees" have been found, most living, but some dead. None are in Illinois. Eight are living in California and six in Florida.

The Cannelton tree was heavily damaged in a 2008 wind storm, but survived, just not as tall.

Do You Have a "Moon Tree" Growing in Your Yard? --Cooter