Moon Trees
Summary
This Radiolab episode honors disability activist Alice Wong by exploring the story of "moon trees." Host Lulu Miller and guest Natalie Middleton recount how astronaut Stuart Roosa took tree seeds to the moon on Apollo 14 in 1971. The seeds survived the journey and were planted across the US, with many locations now forgotten. The episode highlights a modern effort to map these trees, framing them as accessible connections to space exploration.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: MoMA PS1, Progressive, and Apartments.com
Tribute to Alice Wong and her love for the moon
Terrestrials intro: The story of the moon trees
Stu 'Smokey' Russo: From smokejumper to Apollo 14 pilot
The science of space seeds and children's wild theories
Sponsors: Progressive, Apartments.com, Taco Bell, Planet Money
Apollo 14 launch, lunar orbit, and the far side of the moon
Return to Earth, seed explosion, and planting the moon trees
Rediscovering the moon trees and Natalie's map
Natalie visits a moon tree in San Luis Obispo
Badgering questions: Time dilation and growing plants in space
Closing tribute to Alice Wong and staff credits
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