NASA's Apollo 14 Legacy Continues With Earth Day Tree Planting

Media representatives are invited to join NASA, the National Arboretum and
American Forests to celebrate Earth Day and the 40th anniversary of the first
Apollo moon landing with a tree planting ceremony April 22 at the National
Arboretum, 3501 New York Avenue N.E., Washington. The planting ceremony begins
at 1 p.m. EDT.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa had been a U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper.
During the Apollo 14 mission to the moon in 1971, he took along tree seeds
from a Loblolly pine, sycamore, sweet gum, redwood, and Douglas fir. After
returning to Earth, the U.S. Forest Service germinated these seeds, which grew
into first-generation "moon trees."

The moon trees have been planted throughout the United States, but the
sycamore is the first to be planted at the National Arboretum. American
Forests, the nation's oldest conservation organization, continues the legacy
of this Apollo-era program by maintaining second-generation moon trees and
making them available through its Historic Trees Program.

Reporters planning to attend the event should contact Susan Burgess at
202-245-4565 or susan.burgess@ars.usda.gov by April 21.

For a comprehensive listing of NASA's Earth Day activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earthday

For directions to the event and more information about the National Arboretum,
visit:

http://www.usna.usda.gov
CONTACT:
Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761
sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov

Susan Burgess
National Arboretum, Washington
202-245-4565
susan.burgess@ars.usda.gov

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- April 20/

SOURCE NASA