A sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) Moon Tree was planted at Kennedy Space Center in
Cape Canaveral, Florida on 25 June 1976, as part of the "Third Century America"
Science and Technology Exposition. Taking part in the planting ceremony were
Apollo 14 astronaut Ed Mitchell, Florida Agriculture Secretary Doyle Conner,
and Associate Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Rex Resler. A
telegram
from President Gerald Ford
was read, and Mitchell said the tree "will stand as a testimonial for man's ability to do great things."
The picture above left was taken in 2012 and above right in 2002. The article and picture below left
and center are from the June 26, 1976
Orlando Sentinel.
The picture above right and article below right are from The Spectrum & Daily News, Nov. 16, 2002.
The tree was planted in the courtyard of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Irma
knocked the tree over
on 11 September 2017. It has since been replaced by a
"Moon Tree Garden",
a collection of 12 descendents of the original tree, planted on 12 July 2019.
There are also statues in the garden carved from wood from the original tree, and
paintings made using sawdust from the tree.
The garden is located between the Saturn V building and the Banana River launch-viewing stands.
Images of Kennedy Space Center Moon Tree and "Moon tree" planting notice for June 25, 1976
The "Moon Tree Garden" - Florida Hikes! Artist adds touch of moon (tree) dust for Apollo 14 50th anniversary - collectSPACE Article on Kennedy Space Center Moon Tree Moon Tree destroyed by hurricane Irma
- Spaceflight Insider, 16 September, 2017 (Courtesy Internet Archive) 'Moon Tree' that traveled on Apollo mission and planted at KSC toppled by Hurricane Irma
- Florida Today, 21 September 2017
Moon Tree Home Page
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