The seeds of the sweetgum tree orbited the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis I mission. It orbited the moon twice and journeyed 268,563 miles from the earth, which was 43,051 miles beyond the moon.
By: Maria Allard | Warren Weekly | Published November 21, 2024
WARREN — Warren Woods Christian School students were on a mission Oct. 29 when they planted a moon tree seedling from NASA.
The seeds had orbited the moon, and the seedling tree was given to the staff and students to plant and care for, which will include watering and pruning it.
The tree seedling is a Liquidambar styraciflua, often referred to as a sweetgum tree. The tree was grown from seeds that orbited the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis I mission. It orbited the moon twice and journeyed 268,563 miles from the earth, which was 43,051 miles beyond the moon.
The school also received a certificate that states “The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service certifies that your moon tree orbited the moon as a seed on NASA’s Artemis I Mission Nov. 16-Dec. 11, 2022, commemorating Apollo 14 Mission that carried the first moon tree seeds into space.” It is signed by USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore.
The moon trees program was created in 1971. Warren Woods Christian School science teacher Sharon Mullins applied to NASA and the school was chosen to receive the tree seedling. Mullins said the goal is to determine how weightlessness affects the growth of the tree seedlings. She added that tree seedlings are distributed across the country to educational institutions, museums and libraries.
“We’re trying to teach the students to be good stewards of God’s creations and learn more about things that are affected by space,” Mullins said.
Sweetgums can grow 60-75 feet. Eighth grade student Izzy Richards, fifth grade student Emma Scurlock and second grader David Verbeke were among the students that helped plant the tree.
“We shoveled the dirt into the hole. It was fun,” Richards said. “It was definitely a privilege to have at our school.”
This is Richards’ last year at the school. She hopes to come back and visit to see the growth of the tree.
“We got to dig the dirt,” Verbeke said. “I would be interested to see how tall it would be.”
“It was a really fun process,” Scurlock said.
“It’s been phenomenal, and it’s just a neat experience for the school,” school Administrator Beth Denhart said. “We’re anxious to watch it and take care of it.”
NASA lessons have been in the classroom before at the school. Last year, Mullins made arrangements for the school to participate in the NASA Sparking Participation and Real-world Experiences in STEM program. SPARX provides educators with hands-on activities aligned with NASA standards, professional development training and resources to help engage students in STEM learning.