Moon Trees

August 16, 2002 11:39 AM

Moon Trees - Trees grown from seeds that went to the moon on the first manned mission, including their seedlings and offshoots. Most of them are marked with plaques, but it's only now that an official record is being recreated after they'd been giving them out willy nilly for decades - heh. There might be a moon tree in your very own town square! Click here to see the list compiled so far. (via Wren's Nest)
posted by thunder (21 comments total)

i wonder if they'll do something similar with space chickens :) plaques!
posted by kliuless at 11:44 AM on August 16, 2002

That is utterly cool. Trees that have been to the moon.

On January 31, 1971, Apollo 14 blasted off. Only Shepard and Mitchell actually walked on Moon. On Feb. 5th they landed the lunar module Antares in Fra Mauro--a hilly area where Shepard famously launched his golf balls using a geology tool as a makeshift driver. Roosa remained in orbit as pilot of the mission's command module Kitty Hawk. Inside his PPK was a metal cylinder, 6 inches long and 3 inches wide, filled with seeds. Together they circled the Moon 34 times.

Oh. Still totally cool. Maybe call 'em space trees instead.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:51 AM on August 16, 2002

Damn, none in Madison.

Only NASA could make me jealous of Atchison, Kansas.
posted by interrobang at 11:54 AM on August 16, 2002

Seems I've got a couple within a few hours of me at least - might make a nice day trip sometime! In the meantime, I'll be on the lookout for the LOST moon trees with their hidden or understated plaques - could be any tree - maybe there's a moon (space) tree conspiracy - beware! LOL. And now I'm a bit weirded out trying to figure out how to attach a plaque to a space chicken. *grin*
posted by thunder at 12:00 PM on August 16, 2002

So...do any of them look weird? Made out of green cheese, sprouting two heads?
posted by me3dia at 12:05 PM on August 16, 2002

sure they're cool, until they start to take over. if sci-fi horror has taught us anything it's that anything with "space-" in front of it will destroy us. wake up people!
posted by rhyax at 12:06 PM on August 16, 2002

I knew it all along - the moon is made of green trees!
posted by madprops at 12:07 PM on August 16, 2002

My old university had one of these trees at one of the buildings I had several classes in...boggles the mind. Wonder if they've cut down the tree yet without knowing what it was.
posted by fijiwriter at 12:08 PM on August 16, 2002

um. who says we really landed on the moon in the first place?

its all part of the conspiracy, damn you!
posted by ronv at 12:34 PM on August 16, 2002

I, for one, welcome our new Space Tree Overlords.

(anybody keeping count on all these overlords?)
posted by briank at 12:36 PM on August 16, 2002

cool! i had no idea we have not just one but three on the university campus here. i'll check them out soon and report back with any weirdness (or demands). thanks, thunder!
posted by modge at 12:44 PM on August 16, 2002

Very cool, there's one 5 miles from where I live, Florence, Alabama.
posted by nyxxxx at 1:04 PM on August 16, 2002

Oooh! There's one in my hometown! I guess I'll have to take a trip down to the capitol sometime and look for it.
posted by emmling at 7:42 PM on August 16, 2002

Um, first manned mission to the moon? So, ah, Apollos 11 & 12 were, uh, crewed by chimps? Or just the folks who alphabetized the tree list?
posted by y2karl at 9:12 PM on August 16, 2002

I remember growing 'space tomatoes' in the fifth grade. Each child had two pots and in one was planted a tomato seed that had spent 5 years in space and another one had a plain earthbound tomato seed. I remember the space tomato growing much faster. I wonder if these will be super trees that will take over university campuses and destroy other earthling plants.
posted by Alison at 10:07 PM on August 16, 2002

there are none in houston. that's sorta depressing and stupid.
posted by rhyax at 10:08 PM on August 16, 2002

first manned mission to the moon? Maybe they meant the first manned LANDING? I don't really know one mission number from the others, but I'll assume they're not chimps, just communicationally challenged perhaps. *grin*

And cool about the space tomatoes! (tomatoes, chickens, it's all good - LOL)
posted by thunder at 9:47 AM on August 17, 2002

Um, Thunder, they were manned long before there was ever a landing. Perhaps you have heard of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong?
So, how old are you and where did you go to grade school?
posted by y2karl at 10:00 PM on August 17, 2002

What! You have a B.S. in Technical Communication?
Roger that.
I'm sorry, but that was a boneheaded mistake for a bonehead, let alone a technical writer--no matter how you try to spin it. Just pray no one you work for sees that one.
posted by y2karl at 10:07 PM on August 17, 2002

It is a cool post, though--sorry for the snark.
posted by y2karl at 10:21 PM on August 17, 2002

y2karl - DOH! I really didn't pay attention to the 'mission' stuff, just to the 'tree' stuff, so you can just chalk it up to disinterest more than error. ;-) Glossed over the mission numbers and the dates. Mom always said I was easily amused by shiny things.... maybe dates and mission numbers need to be shinier. *grin*

Snark all you want, we'll make more.
posted by thunder at 11:25 AM on August 20, 2002