A historic tree that traveled farther than most humans and orbited the moon dozens of times in 1971 fell victim to Hurricane Irma's winds. Wochit
CAPE CANAVERAL — A tiny tree seed that orbited the moon in an Apollo command module and grew to shade tourists at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was lost to the winds of Hurricane Irma.
Known as a "Moon Tree," the sycamore seed spent nearly two weeks of 1971 tucked away in the personal kit of Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa and completed 34 orbits of Earth's closest neighbor.
Back home, the sycamore seed sprouted and the young tree was planted in 1976 to celebrate the U.S. bicentennial.
More:'Ghost ship' beached in Florida may take months to remove
More:Frustrations boil over in Miami following Hurricane Irma
"The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Moon Tree was a beautiful, living artifact, and part of our nation’s history of space exploration," the visitor complex said in a statement. "We were saddened to lose it."
In February 1971, at the behest of the U.S. Forest Service chief, hundreds of tree seeds were carried to space by Roosa, a former "smokejumper," or firefighter who parachutes into remote regions to combat forest fires. He stayed behind in the "Kitty Hawk" command module and orbited the moon while astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell touched down on the surface.
Biologists were interested in studying germination of the seeds after their voyage, but a mishap forced a change of plans. The canister burst during the decontamination process after Apollo 14 returned to Earth, mixing the hundreds of redwood, pine, sycamore, Douglas fir and sweet gum seeds. They were deemed unusable for experiments, but were grown anyway.
Hundreds of the trees were planted across the country to celebrate the nation's 200th birthday, though all their locations were not properly documented, according to a NASA report. Some trees even found their way to other countries.
Over the years, second-generation trees, called "half-moon" trees, have been planted from seeds or cuttings from an original Moon Tree and thrive across the U.S., according to NASA.
In 2005, a second-generation sycamore was planted near Roosa's grave at Arlington National Cemetery to honor him and his fellow Apollo astronauts.
Branches of the Moon Tree at KSC's visitor complex reached toward the skies from a bed near the Milky Way ice cream stand for 40 years. Looking like any other sycamore, it challenged ideas that exposure to microgravity would alter its appearance.
But the tree was no match for Irma's winds, which, as the storm barreled through Florida Sept. 10 and 11, NASA clocked at up to 94 mph.
After the fallen sycamore's trunk and branches were cleared away, the visitor complex recalled its purpose: "The spirit of the Moon Tree lives on as we continue to share the NASA story of space exploration."
Follow Emre Kelly on Twitter: @EmreKelly
Moon Tree locations
Hundreds of Moon Trees were planted across the United States to celebrate the nation's bicentennial in 1976. Here are some of the locations in Florida:
• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (sycamore, former)
• Apollo Elementary School, Titusville (sycamore)
• University of Florida, Gainesville (sycamore)
• Keystone Heights Library, Keystone Heights (sycamore)
• Forest Capital State Park, Perry (loblolly pine)
• Cascades Park, Tallahassee (sycamore)
• Doyle Conner Building, Tallahassee (loblolly pine)
Sources: NASA, and Florida Today research
Drone video from Cudjoe Key, Upper Sugarloaf Key, Summerland Key and Sunshine Key show how some of the hardest his parts of the Florida Keys are fairing days after hurricane Irma made landfall. Rodney White, Michael Zamora/The Register
Hurricane Irma dealt Florida's iconic crop a devastating blow, destroying nearly all the citrus in some groves and seriously damaging others. U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio visited groves in Lake Wales and heard from growers. (Sept. 13) AP
Aerial video shows the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on St. Thomas in the U.S Virgin Islands. (Sept. 12) AP
Drone footage provides a more broad view of the the damage Hurricane Irma inflicted on south Florida communities. USA TODAY
Aerial views filmed by British broadcaster Sky news on Monday revealed the extent of damage on the eastern Caribbean Island of Barbuda, after Hurricane Irma swept through it, leaving a trail of destruction. (Sept. 12) AP
Irma's gale force winds kept the plane from landing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. USA TODAY
Lorri Walters, of Clermont feels lucky that the mobile home she shares with her mom in the Emerald Lakes Mobile Village was not destroyed by Hurricane Irma. Kelly Jordan, USA TODAY
Drone footage shows the destruction left by Hurricane Irma in the Leawood Lakes and Cape Sable Lakes neighborhoods of Naples. Video by Rodney White and Michael Zamora. USA TODAY
Jacksonville, Florida, authorities are telling residents near the St. Johns river to leave quickly as floodwaters rise. (Sept. 11) AP
Talk about a close call! One man in Georgia was driving amidst Irma's wind and rain when a tree started falling on the road in front of him! USA TODAY
Time-lapse video captured by the Associated Press shows the effects Hurricane Irma had on Miami Beach from Saturday to Monday. (Sept. 11) AP
Hurricane Irma veered slightly right, giving Tampa area officials less to worry about in terms of storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico, but causing slightly more storm damage inland in places like Polk County. (Sept. 11) AP
Although Miami was spared a big brunt of Hurricane Irma, mobile home residents here are not breathing a sigh of relief as they return to their now damaged or completely destroyed homes. Colette Luke has more. Video provided by Reuters Newslook
Daylight revealed the scope of destruction Hurricane Irma caused across Florida. Wochit
The full breadth of the damage from Hurricane Irma remains unclear, particularly in the hard-hit Keys, where communications and travel were still difficult. An aerial tour of Key Largo showed toppled buildings and damaged boats. (Sept. 11) AP
Flooded streets and ripped roofs can be seen above the Holiday Manor neighborhood in East Naples, Fla. Des Moines Register
An aerial view from a helicopter shows damage done to some homes in Key West, Florida, after Hurricane Irma made landfall just after 9 a.m. about 20 miles outside the island city. (Sept. 11) AP
Kelly McClenthen and boyfriend Daniel Harrison put on waders to enter her neighborhood in Bonita Springs after Irma, and they needed them. (Sept. 11) AP
Hurricane Irma took aim at heavily populated areas of central Florida on Monday as it carved a path of destruction through the state. Video provided by Reuters Newslook
Boats in a marina near Miami City Hall were severely damaged by Hurricane Irma. USA TODAY
Video shot in Boyton Beach, Florida, shows the transformer sparking as Hurricane Irma makes landfall in Florida. USA TODAY
A monster Hurricane Irma roared into Florida Sunday with 130 mph winds, flooding streets and knocking out power to more than 1.5 million homes. In Palm Bay, a tornado triggered by Irma's approach destroyed a number of mobile homes. (Sept. 10) AP
Hurricane Irma pummels Florida Keys. Video provided by AFP Newslook
A crane atop a high-rise under construction in downtown Miami collapsed Sunday amid strong winds from Hurricane Irma. The crane collapsed in a bayfront area filled with hotels and high-rise condo and office buildings. (Sept. 10) AP
Hurricane Irma surges through the Florida Keys with damaging winds.
Wave of up to 36 feet smashed into Havana, Cuba, forcing residents to navigate the streets in boats in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Video provided by Reuters Newslook
Rescuers with the Martin County Sheriff's Department pluck boaters from their vessel stranded among the outer bands of Hurricane Irma. Video provided by Reuters Newslook
Hurricane Irma caused massive damage as it pounded Cuba's northern coast on Saturday with residents left reeling in the aftermath. Video provided by Reuters Newslook
As Hurricane Irma prepares to hit Florida, those on the Caribbean island of Anguilla are assessing the devastating effect the storm had on their island. Vanessa Croft Thompson, a teacher in Anguilla, says the storm brought mass destruction to the island. (Sept. 9) AP
Dutch military authorities rushed aid and assistance to the Caribbean island of St. Martin on Thursday after Hurricane Irma battered the region. (Sept. 8) AP
Drone footage shows widespread devastation on Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. (Sept. 8) AP
A man on the Caribbean island of Anguilla videos waves crashes through his house as Hurricane Irma devastates the island. (Sept. 9) AP
The Royal Netherlands Navy says Hurricane Irma caused 'enormous damage' to the Dutch side of Saint-Martin Island. Video provided by Reuters Newslook
The governor of the British Virgin Islands on Friday said he declared a state of emergency after Hurricane Irma left a string of Caribbean islands devastated. In a radio address, Gov. Gus Jaspert said he was "heartbroken" by the destruction. (Sept. 8) AP
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2yfQf6s
Read Again Irma topples NASA's 'Moon Tree' that flew on Apollo 14 : http://ift.tt/2hm1qakBagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Irma topples NASA's 'Moon Tree' that flew on Apollo 14"
Post a Comment