Arlington National Cemetery is home to many unique trees to explore on Arbor Day (April 24), but only one has roots in outer space. The “Moon Tree,” an American Sycamore, is a second-generation tree descendant of seeds that orbited the moon.
On Jan. 31, 1971, astronauts Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa launched from Kennedy Space Flight Center in Florida aboard Apollo 14, en route to the moon. Days later, while Shepard and Mitchell walked on the moon's surface, Roosa orbited the moon alone in the command module. A former U.S. Forest Service smokejumper who once parachuted into various locations to extinguish wildfires, Roosa carried special cargo: hundreds of seeds from five different tree species.
After the crew returned to Earth, scientists germinated the seeds. These “Moon Tree” seeds were donated to all 50 states in time for the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. In the following years, second-generation seeds from those original trees were planted at significant locations across the country. Eleven years after Roosa was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 7A on Dec. 15, 1994, the American Sycamore was planted nearby in Section 48 in a ceremony attended by his son, Christopher, on Feb. 9, 2005.
Army National Military Cemeteries Urban Forester Greg Huse said that the sycamore, native to Virginia, is appropriate for Arlington National Cemetery. “It’s the only tree of its kind in the cemetery,” he said. “It’s another way our trees are tied to more than just the military, but to our nation’s space program.”
Today, the Moon Tree stands as a living memorial to America’s astronauts who risked everything for space exploration — including the crews of Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger, whose memorials stand nearby in Section 46. Visiting the tree is a great way to commemorate the nation's achievements during its 250th year.
Learn More
► Education Program: "Explorers: Earth, Air and Space," featuring lesson plans and a walking tour
► Astronauts buried or memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery
► Memorial Arboretum and Horticulture