Did you know that right here in Washington Square Park stands a remarkable tree a NASA Moon Tree? It’s a living testament to a unique space mission. Back in 1971 astronaut Stuart Roosa carried hundreds of tree seeds to the moon aboard Apollo 14. This wasn’t just a casual trip. The US Forest Service wanted to see how space travel affected seeds. Roosa a former Forest Service smokejumper happily agreed to participate in this extraordinary experiment. He brought seeds of five types of trees.
The seeds orbited the moon. They returned to Earth. Amazingly nearly all of them germinated. The resulting seedlings were then planted across the United States as part of the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations. The first of these special Moon Trees was planted right here in Philadelphia’s Washington Square Park in 1975. It was a sycamore a fitting symbol for this historical occasion.
Sadly the original Philadelphia Moon Tree didn’t survive very long. It died around 2008. But its legacy continues. A clone grown from cuttings of the original tree was planted in its place. This replacement tree also bore the title of NASA Moon Tree. It was a symbol of hope a symbol of resilience.
However this clone also met an untimely end in 2019. Today only a plaque remains marking the location of the Philadelphia NASA Moon Tree a poignant reminder of this unique piece of history. The story of this sycamore is a reminder of the enduring power of nature and human ingenuity. It is a story that shows how even the seeds that have traveled to the moon can continue to grow and thrive. Even if only as a memory.