Few people have heard of moon trees and even fewer people know where to find them. Indiana is home to several, but these historic plants are actually more normal than they sound. Scroll on for more details.

Every astronaut is allowed a few personal items when they go into space. The Apollo 14 mission to the moon carried something special that would be planted back here on earth.
Flickr/manhhai
Of the three who undertook this mission, it was Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa who took 500 sycamore tree seeds to orbit with him and his crew.
Wikimedia Commons/NASA
The seeds remained in orbit during the nine-day mission and returned to Earth, after which they were planted throughout the United States.
Wikimedia Commons/lofaesofa

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It is believed that most of these moon trees died. There was nothing special about the moon mission that helped or worsened the seeds, and even the surviving ones were lost to the world for a long time.
Pixabay/susan-lu4esm
In 1996, a third-grade class did a project on trees and found a tree at Camp Koch Girl Scout Camp that was labeled a moon tree. Their teacher sent a letter to Dave Williams at NASA who confirmed the history and uncovered many more just like it in the states.
Wikimedia Commons/NASA
There is another moon tree outside the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. Planted in 1976, there is a plaque beneath it to commemorate what it is.
Google/Scott Pavlock
Additional moon trees can be found outside the Greenbrier Elementary School as well as in Tell City and Lincoln City.
You can learn more about the Apollo 14 space mission and see the actual spacecraft the astronauts rode in by visiting the National Air And Space Museum in D.C.
flickr/GPA Photo Archive

If you’ve ever seen one of these moon trees, we’d love to hear from you. Please share your experiences and photos with us below in the comments.

For more like this, check out these seven space-themed attractions in Indiana.

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