NASA’s Artemis Moon Tree Moorefield, WV. Nov. 15, 2025 – Moon Tree Anniversary Ceremony.
Please join us for this amazing event. In November of 2022, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched Artemis I.
This was the first of a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration of the Moon and future missions to Mars. On board the spacecraft were packets of seeds from tree species found around the United States. NASA, in coordination with the US Forest Service, continued a program that was started during the Apollo missions.
The two agencies wanted to engage public interest in space exploration and STEM activities. To this end, they set up a program to distribute young trees grown from these seeds to qualified agencies around the United States.
The Potomac Highlands Composite Squadron (Petersburg, WV), a unit of the West Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, applied to be a part of the program. On September 6, 2024, the squadron was alerted to the fact that we had been “selected for a Fall Artemis Moon Tree”.
On October 24, 2024, Mr. Anthony Rao and the grounds crew of Brighton Park planted a Sweet Gum tree on the park’s grounds. Captain John Banks, Potomac Highlands Composite Squadron Commander, dug out the first shovel full of dirt with the hope of dedicating this tree to the future of Aerospace Education and STEM Activities in West Virginia. The first anniversary event has been set for November 15 at 1:00 pm; the community is invited to share this amazing event with us.
