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Poudre High School, the new home of ExraTREErestreal, the tree that was on the Apollo 14 mission
- Poudre Press Staff
- Sep 6
- 2 min read
Poudre High School has recently received a ‘moon tree’ from NASA; it is the seedling of a Douglas-fir tree that traveled around and past the dark side of the moon by over 268,563 miles. According to the words of Ms. Quinlan, a Career and Tech Education teacher at Poudre, and the person who organized the tree two years ago through an awarded stewardship grant (Poudre School District, 2025). The tree was planted near the PHS greenhouse, which is near the football field. The NASA “Moon Tree” program was started by “NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa, the command module pilot for the Apollo 14 mission and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service smoke jumper” (NASA, 2025)
“The Apollo 14 Moon Trees were grown into seedlings by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and eventually disseminated to national monuments and dignitaries around the world, with a large number distributed as part of the nation’s bicentennial event.” This act was a nod to the Apollo 1 mission as well as a celebration of, and for, the future of space exploration.
In the 2 years since the flight, over 2000 seedlings of the 5 tree species have been given to Schools, Federal Agencies, and Museums, which have taken root in over 236 separate locations. The PHS Moon tree is planted in the 'learning garden' near the greenhouse by the football field, along with a plaque to inform our fellow students of the “Moon Tree” soon to come. It will include information about the Artemis I mission and the significance of the moon trees, where other trees are, and how to find them.
After being exposed to the microgravity of space, the moon tree may have been changed at the level of its cells, causing it to grow differently or exhibit different untold characteristics. This means we are doing a NASA experiment here at PHS, which you can participate in, too, by taking measurements of the trees' foliage height and width. We are so excited and proud to be 'stewards' of NASA's moon tree experiment and continue to see how this tree grows.
Resources
NASA. (2024, December 11). They Grow So Fast: Moon Tree Progress Since NASA's Artemis I Mission. NASA. Retrieved August 26, 2025, from https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/moon-tree-progress-since-nasas-artemis-i-mission/
NASA. (2025, May 23). NASA STEM Artemis Moon Trees. NASA. Retrieved August 26, 2025, from https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-stem-artemis-moon-trees/
Poudre School District. (2025, June 17). “Moon Tree” Brought to Poudre High School as Part of Stewardship Program. P.S.D. Retrieved August 26, 2025, from https://www.psdschools.org/news/nasa-phs-moon-tree/
Simon Belda is a junior in high school and is in their first year with the Poudre Press. They are known for being leaders on the robotics team, and they enjoy exploring the natural and mechanical worlds through photography. After high school, they plan to attend an engineering college for aerospace engineering.
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