NASA’s Forgotten Moon Trees | Smartest Year Ever (Dec 8, 2025)

08/12/2025 4 min Temporada 12 Episodio 8

Listen "NASA’s Forgotten Moon Trees | Smartest Year Ever (Dec 8, 2025)"

Episode Synopsis

In 1971, during Apollo 14, astronaut Stuart Roosa quietly carried a few hundred tree seeds into lunar orbit — and almost no one remembers what happened next. This episode of Smartest Year Ever explores one of NASA’s most overlooked experiments, where Earth’s forests met the space age, and a handful of sycamores, redwoods, loblolly pines, sweetgums, and Douglas firs became living symbols of human exploration.Gordy unearths the forgotten story of these so-called “Moon Trees,” how they were planted across the United States and around the world, then vanished from official record — only to be rediscovered decades later by a curious elementary school teacher and a NASA historian. It’s a strange, poetic reminder that sometimes NASA can track probes billions of miles away… but lose a forest here on Earth.If you love space history, Apollo missions, botany experiments, or hidden NASA projects, this is one you don’t want to miss. 🌕🌳Watch, learn, and stay curious — one fact closer to becoming the world’s greatest conversationalist.Music thanks to Zapsplat.SourcesWilliams, D. R. (2005–2024). The Moon Trees. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.htmlU.S. Forest Service. (1976–2021). Apollo 14 Moon Trees Archives. USFS History Division.Goble, J., & Cannelton Elementary School (NASA Correspondence 1997–1999).Smithsonian Magazine. (2011). “Tracking Down the Moon Trees.” https://www.smithsonianmag.comNASA History Division. (1971). Apollo 14 Mission Summary. #SpaceHistory #Apollo14 #NASA #MoonTrees #DailyFacts #Science #Historyfacts #sciencefacts #spacefacts #nasafacts #funfacts #learnonyoutube

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