In 1971, thousands of seeds were planted in various places on Earth after orbiting the Moon 34 times. However, many of these trees, which were planted without any information plaque, were forgotten over time. NASA is now tracking the lost "space traveler" trees.
According to Milli.Az, on February 5, 1971, when the "Apollo 14" spacecraft landed on the Moon's surface, astronaut Stuart Roosa carried more than 2000 tree seeds with him inside a metal container. Roosa, a former forest firefighter, orbited five different types of trees around the Moon 34 times, including pine, sequoia, and sycamore. The goal was to see how being in lunar orbit would affect seed growth.
When the seeds returned to Earth, they were nearly destroyed. During disinfection, the seed bags burst, scattering thousands of seeds into the vacuum chamber. Although scientists thought the seeds were dead, they showed unexpected resistance and were able to sprout.
Approximately 450 seedlings grown between 1975-1976 were sent to many countries from the White House to Japan and Brazil. At that time, these trees were considered a symbol of space success. However, as years passed, many of their locations were forgotten. A 1996 investigation found the locations of only 110 out of 450 trees. Many were mistaken for ordinary trees, so no one realized that they "came from space."
Research showed that being in space does not seriously affect the genetics or growth rate of the trees. They do not differ from their "brothers" on Earth. Nevertheless, NASA continues this tradition. In 2022, thousands of seeds were again sent around the Moon via the "Artemis" program. This time, NASA tracks the location of each seedling using digital maps.
