Media Advisory: U of A to plant Artemis I Moon Tree, continuing legacy of lunar exploration of lunar exploration

Nov. 1, 2024

Media Advisory: U of A to plant Artemis I Moon Tree, continuing legacy of lunar exploration

What: Members of the media are invited to attend the planting of the Artemis I Moon Tree, a sweetgum tree grown from a seed that orbited the moon on NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022
When: Monday, Nov. 4, 3 p.m.
Where: North side of the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium
RSVP: RSVP to dhill1@arizona.edu and stolte@arizona.edu

TUCSON, Ariz. — Media are invited to attend the planting of the Artemis I Moon Tree, a sweetgum whose seed traveled farther than any spacecraft designed for humans, orbiting the moon and returning to Earth during NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022.

This is the second Moon Tree to take root on campus, joining the Bicentennial Moon Tree planted over 50 years ago from seeds brought to the moon during the Apollo 14 mission. The U of A was selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applications to receive the Artemis I Moon Tree.

Dolores Hill, senior research specialist with the university's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, led the application for the Artemis I Moon Tree on behalf of LPL and sees the tree as a symbol of the U of A's role in advancing lunar science and education.

"With our long history of lunar exploration at U of A, this Artemis Moon Tree represents the bridge from Apollo to Artemis, inspiring the next generation to continue pushing the boundaries of science and discovery," she said.

The planting ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on the north side of Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium and is expected to last about 30 minutes. Media are encouraged to arrive early to ensure enough time to set up.

In addition to Hill, participants in the planting ceremony will include:

Tanya Quist, director of the Campus Arboretum
Carmala Garzione, dean of the College of Science
Mark Marley, director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Kellee Campbell, director of Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium
Betsy Arnold, interim director of the School of Plant Sciences
Chris Stebe, landscape architect with Planning, Design & Construction

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Media contacts:
Dolores Hill
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
dhill1@arizona.edu

Daniel Stolte
University Communications
stolte@arizona.edu

The University of Arizona, a land-grant institution with two independently accredited medical schools, ranks among the nation's top universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as student-centric and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. As a leading Research 1 institution, the University of Arizona ranks in the top 20 among all public universities with $955 million in annual research expenditures according to the National Science Foundation. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 71 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. and Canada. It benefits the state of Arizona with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually.