Friday, July 6, 2012

Apollo Moon Tree Map

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Another map project! Added to the master list of Solar System walks all over the world, here are all the Apollo Moon Trees planted since 1974. I was very happy to visit 7 sites thus far, but I clearly have a long way to go, since there are 82 total!

Apollo Moon Trees Map
Apollo Moon Trees Map - Click to embiggen!

NASA Goddard has two wonderful pages covering First Generation Apollo Moon Trees, and later Second Generation Moon Trees seeded from the first. In addition, many people update the Moon Tree list on Wikipedia, and a happy group of geocaching adventureres consistently add materials to the Waymarkers Moon Tree Group.

Unfortunately, all the lists are different! While each is a good list to start with, none were complete, so I decided to try to research a comprehensive and updated map, which I will try to keep as current as possible.

Sacramento Capitol Building Moon Tree
Capitol Building Moon Tree, Sacramento, California
Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), 1976

In each listing, the waymark (if there is one) is noted with exact latitude and longitude coordinates, since lone trees can be more difficult to find than other facilities. Inside the map are exact addresses for the nearest street locale, if coordinates are not available.

Sometimes the listings can be confusing, so click into the links to read the stories. For instance, one person recruited to review my initial list told me, "You forgot the New Orleans moon tree!" Actually, I didn't. While NASA notes it being planted, it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and subsequently removed.

Another NASA listing notes a spot in Michigan, where a moon tree was accidentally cut down during building renovations. Yikes! ( Good thing they later applied for a second generation sapling, which was replanted nearby.) It's worth it to click around on the Pillownaut Map Page and the Google Map itself to ensure you have all the information before traveling.

Camilla Corona at Monterey Moon Tree
Mission Plaza Moon Tree, Monterey, California
Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), 1976

Note: My map does NOT list any moon trees at private residences around the country, because this is intended to be a travel guide to trees that are available for public viewing. I'm sure not sending tourists to anyone's back yard! Private residence trees, minus precise locations, are on the Moon Tree map on the NASA.gov server.

For a looks at some of the trees visited by Camilla Corona of NASA Goddard SDO, see this Apollo Moon Tree Picasa Gallery!