Behind Mary W. Jackson Elementary School in Hampton, a small loblolly pine sapling sits protected by a metal fence. Students planted the tree a few months ago – but it started its life far, far away.
The pine is growing from one of almost 2,000 seeds that orbited the moon during NASA’s Artemis I mission in late 2022.
“This is one of the most unique programs that I’ve been a part of within Hampton City Schools,” Richard Mason, chair of the city’s school board, said Wednesday at a ceremony celebrating the tree planting.
The project honors the legacy of the school’s namesake, he said. Jackson was NASA’s first Black female engineer and worked at Hampton’s Langley Research Center for most of her career. She was one of three Black women profiled in the “Hidden Figures” book and movie.
NASA’s moon tree program started more than half a century ago during the 1971 Apollo 14 mission, when astronaut Stuart Roosa carried hundreds of tree seeds into lunar orbit. They were later distributed to groups around the world to commemorate the mission.
“Organizations are cultivating more than just trees, as they nurture community connections, spark curiosity about space and foster a deeper understanding of NASA’s missions,” the agency writes on its website.
One of the original seeds was planted at Hampton’s Albert W. Patrick Elementary School in 1976.
The new Artemis tree, planted 50 years later, “is a bookend to the first one,” fifth-grader MaKayla Johnson said during this week’s ceremony.
Artemis moon trees have been distributed across the state in recent years, including the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News and Hampton’s Langley Research Center.
Hampton school leaders applied to become a “moon tree steward” a few years ago. Last year, they got word that the school was chosen and received the sapling shortly afterward.
The U.S. Forest Service had been caring for the seeds after they returned from a roughly month-long trip on the uncrewed Orion spacecraft, which was NASA’s first moon mission since the original Apollo program.
The seeds came from five species representing a range of climates across the country, and were “packed into ravioli-shaped pouches” for the journey, according to NASA.
Students at Mary Jackson elementary helped plant the loblolly pine in November.
“The kids were very hands-on, very excited to get their hands in the dirt,” said third-grade teacher Melani Thomas. It’s also “a piece of history. Just watching their excitement and knowing the lasting impact was incredible to witness.”
Caiden Ellis, 10, said he poured mulch around the tree.
“It was actually a really fun experience being part of something big like this,” he said. “I'm gonna remember this and I'm going to come back in like 20, 30 years. I pinky promised.”
Hampton City Schools is a member of the Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications Association, which holds WHRO's license.
