涩涩影视 is already out of this world when it comes to education, but one of our wonderful high schools has taken that phrase to new heights.
Poudre High School recently received one of several “Moon Trees,” the seedling of a Douglas-fir that traveled more than 268,000 miles from Earth before returning to the ‘pale blue dot.’
"We're absolutely thrilled to become Moon Tree stewards," said Carey Christensen, principal of Poudre High School. "This living piece of space history creates a unique bridge between NASA's cutting-edge exploration and our commitment to education. The Moon Tree creates wonderful cross-curricular opportunities between our technology education program and environmental science. We invite the entire Fort Collins community to join us on this exciting journey!"
The Artemis Moon Tree program began half a century ago, when NASA Astronaut Stuart Roosa carried tree seeds into lunar orbit during the Apollo 14 mission. After returning to Earth, the seeds were germinated and the trees were distributed to national monuments and dignitaries around the world, with many being distributed for the United States’ bicentennial event.
In honor of this, a new selection of “Moon Tree” seeds traveled into lunar orbit on the Orion spacecraft, travelling thousands of miles beyond the moon, spending four weeks in space before coming back to Earth. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Services went on to send more tree seeds into orbit, launching five species of seeds aboard Artemis I in late 2022 as part of a national education initiative.
PHS came into possession of one of these spacebound saplings through the work of Kara Quinlan, a CTE Tech Ed teacher at Poudre, who, two years ago, applied for and was awarded a stewardship grant.
"This Moon Tree represents more than just a cool science and engineering project," Kara said. "It's a living symbol of how exploration, innovation and conservation go hand-in-hand, and how our students and community can be part of both cosmic discovery and earthly stewardship."
The tree is currently planted in a pot and will eventually be moved into the ground after it has grown a bit larger. Once in the ground, it will be protected by a perimeter fence to prevent accidental tree damage and a mesh cage to deter wildlife. A plaque with interactive information is also planned for the site where students can monitor its growth and its connection to the universe beyond our planet.
Congratulations to Kara, Carey and all members of PHS for receiving such an interstellar honor that will go on to enrich the educational lives of its students to infinity and beyond.