Moon tree coming to Pittsburgh's historic Allegheny Observatory

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A moon tree is landing in Pittsburgh's Riverview Park in front of the Allegheny Observatory.

Seeds of multiple tree species traveled thousands of miles from Earth and orbited and flew beyond the moon aboard the Artemis I test rocket mission in 2022.

Now, moon trees are springing up across the United States.

"NASA gave the tree seeds to the U.S. Forestry Service and they planted them and they sprouted them and they're now saplings. And NASA is looking for caretakers to take care of these trees," said Kerry Handron, outreach coordinator of the Allegheny Observatory.

Handron said there was a competitive application process, and NASA reviewed hundreds of them. The space-traveling plant arrived in Pittsburgh in the spring and will be replanted in the park by Oct. 6.

"I was so very excited, but I wasn't allowed to tell anyone," Handron said.

The moon tree, which is a sweetgum tree, is expected to grow to about 70 feet tall and will always be a reminder to reach for the stars.

"As we see our moon tree grow and all of its branches fill in in the years to come, to me they represent all the different branches that we can look to and aspire to in future space careers," said Mike Hennessy, manager of learning and programs of the Moonshot Museum.

Hennessy is over the moon about the tree with star-shaped leaves taking right in Pittsburgh, especially as the Griffin lunar lander is under construction inside the Moonshot Museum, and anyone can visit to see it.

"Pittsburgh is on the cusp of leading a whole new generation of space explorers and robotics back to the moon. Our new generation of Pittsburghers will be growing up right alongside this tree for inspiration," Hennessy said.

The last time humans visited the moon was in 1972 during NASA's Apollo 17 mission. The NASA Artemis missions are aiming to get back on the lunar surface.

Hundreds of seeds were brought into space on the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. Getting one of the new generations of moon trees makes the Allegheny Observatory even more out of this world.

"The big question of how far away the stars are, that was effectively answered by our big telescope here," Handron said.

"It's just like one in huge history of events that have happened of astronomical significance here in Pittsburgh. And it's cool that even today these things can continue to happen in this historic site," said Rachel Bezanson, observational astronomer and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

You can welcome the moon sweetgum tree to Riverview Park and the Observatory on Oct. 6. A public ceremony and event will be held there from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The moon tree will be planted before the event. They'll have nature and space activities for kids K-5.