HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – An Artemis moon tree has now been planted in its permanent home at Christian County Middle School. The seed for the sweet gum tree came a long way before landing in Christian County, first orbiting the moon on the Orion spacecraft for a NASA mission.
Amanda Huff, a teacher in the science department at CCMS who had childhood dreams of being an astronaut, took the initiative to fill out the application on behalf of the school, and received the sapling in May of 2024. “I just can’t wait to see not just our tree grow, but how my students grow, how our community will grow,” said Huff before the planting. “I’m just super excited that we were given this opportunity with such a special piece of NASA history.”
Students, teachers, and school staff gathered on Oct. 16 to officially plant the tree in the front yard of the school, with each of her students taking a turn to shovel on dirt. The growing sapling they have lovingly named “Arty” is now prominently placed in view of the road in front of the school so the community can watch it grow over the years.
Kelly Jackson with the Christian County Extension Office was also present with a shovel and pruning shear in hand. He played a crucial role in advising the best time and place for planting the tree and added that Arty will continue to grow for the next 20 to 30 years. If all goes well, students that helped plant the tree will spend their lifetime watching the tree grow, a legacy that Huff is humbled to be a part of.
“The legacy isn’t about me. None of this is about me, this is about the future of our kids, and I want to impact them in a positive way and make them love science,” Huff told Christian County Now.
The seed’s journey through space
In 2022, five types of tree seeds were included on the flight manifest for the Artemis I mission and flew in the Orion spacecraft as part of a national STEM Engagement and conservation education initiative.
The middle school received a letter from NASA further explaining the mission, “Orion traveled 19,908 miles further than the Apollo capsule, 43,051 miles beyond the Moon, and 268,563 miles from Earth. The success of Artemis I is a critical step in the nation’s return to deep space human exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
Since only a select number of these moon trees are in communities across the world, the school will be able part of a unique group and could have their tree on the NASA website along with other moon trees.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Sign up for our free Christian County Now app