Celebrating The Moon Tree
Celebrate The Moon Tree!
Everyone is invited to attend a gathering for an evening of events celebrating the interconnectedness of plants and planets.
This event celebrates the University of Arizona Moon Tree, a sycamore grown from seed that travelled on the Apollo 14 space flight in 1971 as part of US Forest Service research. Originally, it was grown out on earth as part of research to assess the impacts of weighlessness on subsequent germination. Upon completion of the research, the seedlings were gifted to various locations throughout the US. The University of Arizona was fortunate to receive a Platanus occidentalis (American Sycamore) specimen which was planted in the lawn between the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium, and the Kuiper Space Sciences Building in 1976. It is an icon in the campus landscape, representing the interdependence of planet earth and surrounding planetary systems and the vital role tree adaptation plays in earth's future and changing environments.
The formal program features speakers including Jack Roosa, son of Stuart Roosa, an astronaut on the Apollo 14 space flight and representatives from the UA Poetry Center and Laboratory of Tree Ring Research. Additional activities will be held in conjunction with the main program. To view the complete program of events, click here. To view other stories and photos of the event, click here.
The Arizona State Forester erected an interpretive sign in 1976 which states:
See more about the Moon Trees from the NASA site.
