A tree that traveled to space and orbited the moon will now be landing at Lone Star College-Kingwood, to be planted on the campus where the motto is, fittingly, “Start close, go far.”
NASA selected LSC-Kingwood to receive the tree out of 1,300 applications.
The seedling, a Loblolly Pine, orbited the moon during the Artemis I Mission. The mission was part of a national STEM engagement and conservation initiative between NASA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services, which flew five species of tree seeds into space. The Moon Tree seeds traveled into lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft, then traveled?thousands of miles beyond the Moon for about four?weeks before returning to Earth.
Engineering Professor Dr. Jamie Turner, who submitted the grant application, says she is “over the moon” about being chosen.
“Kingwood appreciates trees, Houston is a bit of a space town, and our Lone ‘Star’ motto is all about looking up into those bright guiding lights above. Imagine dragging the telescopes out some evenings, and looking up to the stars, next to a living plant that has actually been up there!”
"Moon trees are a living testament to the importance of scientific exploration and human curiosity,” says Biology/Environmental Science Professor Dr. Brian Shmaefsky. “As an environmental scientist, the trees are a reminder of our quest to understand life beyond the boundaries of the Earth and our relationship to the rest of the universe."
A ceremony is planned to commemorate the reception and planting of the tree on Tuesday, November 19th. More details will be announced closer to the event date. The celebration will be open to the community.
Lone Star College System enrolls over 90,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSCS is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D. serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. LSC has been named a 2024 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education. LSCS consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit Lonestar.edu.
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