The Moon Trees: Apollo 14's Seeds That Went to the Moon

Besides the Apollo astronauts, there are hundreds of “creatures” on our planet that have been to the Moon. When Apollo 14 lifted off on January 31, 1971, one of its crew members carried seeds of a wide variety of trees. These trees, upon returning to Earth, were planted and transplanted almost without control. So much so that most of them have an “unknown whereabouts.” At first glance they look like ordinary trees, but they are special because they have been on the Moon. Their journey is part of an astonishing story.

The Apollo 14 mission almost turned NASA's work into a media circus. After the nerves of the Apollo 13 problems, the agency and its men needed some relaxation. That is how Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell became the two astronauts who had the most fun on our natural satellite. In addition to performing experiments, setting up scientific equipment and collecting about 43 kilograms of lunar rocks and dust, Shepard managed to hide among his luggage the head of a golf club and several balls.

Once on the Moon, he used a piece of tube to assemble a club with which he calmly began to send the balls toward some selenite location. Meanwhile, in the control room on Earth, they could not believe what they saw. Mitchell could not be outdone by his companion, so he spent a good while performing “javelin throws” with an expedition object, while declaring the first Lunar Olympics open.

The Astronaut Who Carried a Forest

But while these two apprentice clowns did their tricks (many believe it was all carefully planned by NASA), the third crew member, Stuart Roosa, orbited the Moon 34 times aboard the command module Kitti Hawk. But Roosa was not alone: inside his personal kit was a metal cylinder 15 by 8 cm, full of seeds. A whole “forest” accompanied him on his orbits.

Each astronaut was allowed to carry some personal objects on their trips, inside their PPKs (Personal Preference Kits). They usually carried coins, stamps, or things that collectors later bought at “very interesting” prices. But others made a splash. Al Shepard carried golf balls, John Young carried a peppered meat sandwich, and Stuart Roosa (with a past closely linked to the US Forest Service) carried seeds. In fact, to select the tree varieties he would take to space, he received advice from Stan Krugman, who was director of personnel of the forest genetics research area of the US Forest Service in 1971. Inside his kit, Roosa carried sequoias, loblolly pines, sycamores, Douglas firs, and Spanish oaks.

“It was half science and half publicity,” Krugman acknowledged. “The scientists wanted to find out what would happen to the seeds if they made a trip to the Moon. Would they germinate? Would they develop into normal trees?” Space travel was just beginning, and biologists had practically not done experiments in space. “We also wanted to give away the seeds as part of the celebration of our Bicentennial in 1976,” he adds. Those species were chosen because they grow well in almost all of the United States. Moreover, “the seeds came from two genetics institutes of the Forest Service. In most cases, we knew their parents (a key requirement for any genetic study after the trip),” Krugman clarifies.

A Rough Landing

But when they returned to Earth, there was an incident that almost ruined Krugman and Roosa's plans. During decontamination protocols, the cylinder with the seeds was exposed to vacuum and the internal pressure caused it to open. The seeds flew out and the extremely low pressure damaged many. “We weren't sure they were still viable,” said Krugman, who nevertheless separated the seeds by species and sent them to Forest Service laboratories in Mississippi and California. Despite the trauma, practically all the seeds turned into sprouts. Suddenly, we had hundreds of little trees that had been on the Moon.

Over months and years, the sprouts became adult trees that grew normally. They even “reproduced with common terrestrial trees, and their descendants, which we call semi-lunar trees, were also normal.” Obviously, DNA analysis was not routine in the 70s, so the moon trees were not analyzed deeply enough. There could be subtle differences still to be discovered, but when in 1975 the trees were given to different institutions that planted them in various places, things got out of control.

A Tree for Everyone

Naturally, everyone wanted their own moon tree. Between 1975 and 1976, trees were sent to the White House, Independence Square in Philadelphia, and the Emperor of Japan. “Many senators wanted trees to plant at building dedication ceremonies. We even did some plantings in New Orleans because the mayor, whose last name was Moon (Luna in English), wanted some,” Krugman recalls. There were so many requests that it was necessary to “produce additional shoots from grafts of the original trees.” Unfortunately, no one bothered to keep a record of each tree's fate. Currently, the location of many moon trees is unknown.

Dave Williams, a NASA scientist, has found several specimens. Most moon trees were planted as part of a ceremony; therefore, there is usually a sign or plaque nearby that identifies them, but others have no identification at all. “I found a moon tree at Goddard, right next to my office,” Williams recounts. “I had no idea it was there.” DNA analysis can confirm or rule out “suspicious” cases, but surely many, especially second or third generation ones, will never be located. “Now, with many years behind them, they are fully developed. They look like ordinary trees,” Williams said at the time, “but they are special because they have been on the Moon.”

For more, see Moon tree on Wikipedia.