Courtesy: Swigert International School.

Students at Swigert International School in Central Park and McAuliffe International School in Park Hill recently planted trees with an extraordinary journey written into their roots. The young Douglas fir trees began as seeds that spent four weeks traveling through space aboard the Artemis I mission in 2022, circling the moon twice before returning to Earth.

For the students gathered around the saplings, the moment felt almost impossible to imagine: a living tree that had ventured farther than most humans ever will.

“The best part was the kids’ reaction to the fact that this little tree has been to the moon. They look at it in a magical way, and I share a bit of that feeling, honestly,” said Sara Peters, president of the McAuliffe at Smiley Foundation.

At Swigert, the timing made the experience even more powerful. Students had already been immersed in lessons about NASA’s Artemis II mission, learning about the renewed push toward deep space exploration. Then, space exploration was no longer confined to textbooks or videos — it was now growing at their school.

“We had just been doing a lot of learning around the Artemis II mission, and the kids were so excited about that. And then when the kids saw a tree that had been around the moon on a different Artemis journey, well that was really exciting,” said Principal Shelby Dennis.

Courtesy: Swigert International School.

The Moon Tree program traces its origins back more than five decades. In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa — a former smoke jumper for the U.S. Forest Service — carried tree seeds with him into lunar orbit. After returning to Earth, the seeds were germinated by the Forest Service and planted at national monuments, state capitols, and historic sites around the world as symbols of exploration, resilience, and discovery.

When NASA launched the Artemis program, the agency partnered once again with the Forest Service to revive the tradition. Five species of tree seeds were sent into space aboard Artemis I as part of a nationwide STEM and conservation initiative designed to inspire the next generation of scientists, explorers, and environmental stewards. The 3-foot fir trees planted at the two northeast Denver schools are part of that living legacy.

The trees carry special meaning for these schools, named for astronauts whose stories are woven into the history of spaceflight. Jack Swigert, a Coloradan, flew aboard Apollo 13, while Christa McAuliffe — a teacher selected for NASA’s Teacher in Space program — died in the Challenger disaster in 1986.

“Getting to plant a moon tree felt very fortuitous and beautiful,” said Dennis.

For Dennis, the tree represents more than a connection to space history. It is a living invitation for curiosity to take root alongside it. As the Douglas fir grows taller over the years, she hopes teachers will continue to find ways to weave its story into science lessons and student learning.

“To have this tie in so well with our learning and have it growing on school grounds is just pretty incredible,” said Dennis.