TAMPA, Fla. — A seed that was flown around the moon is now growing in the soil of MOSI’s Science Park.
The Sweetgum sapling traveled 270,000 miles while aboard the Artemis 1 spacecraft in 2022. Once it landed, the USDA’s Forest Service planted and nurtured it until it was healthy enough to be moved to the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) in North Tampa.
MOSI is one of the first to receive a sapling like this. NASA said in a news release that it plans to place similar trees in other locations across the country.
The tree will be unveiled on the 55th anniversary of the first moon landing. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to step onto the moon.
“On that day, we all got a new understanding of what we can accomplish through science, technology, engineering, and math. At MOSI, we’re honored to help continue that legacy into the future,” MOSI CEO John Graydon Smith said in a news release.
The idea sprouted during the Apollo era when NASA astronaut and former forest fighter Stuart Roosacarried hundreds of seeds in containersaboard the Apollo 14 spacecraft. Most of those seeds were grown into trees and planted around the world.
The goal then and now is to connect people on Earth with space and the moon.
