Skip to Main Content

Indiana Space Trees

kwhitacr_jpg.jpg

~ by Kristi Whitacre, Community Development Educator & County Extension Director, Vigo County

 

Sycamore and Tulip Poplar tree seeds orbited the Earth on the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis STS more than 30 years ago, from December 2-6, 1988, as part of a Purdue Extension 4-H project with Astronaut Jerry Ross. The seeds were grown into saplings on Purdue University’s campus and one was donated to each county Extension Office in Indiana in 1989 to celebrate the diamond anniversary of Purdue Cooperative Extension Service. These trees continue to grow in many Indiana communities today.

vigospacetree-rotated.jpg

 

Kristi Whitacre, Purdue Extension Educator, and Daniel Walker, Purdue Community Planning Extension Specialist, have documented the story and gathered information on the remaining trees in an interactive story map.

Click the link to view the map, learn about the history of the project, get tips on harvesting the seeds, and learn more about astronaut Jerry Ross: https://arcg.is/1eHviK.

Featured Stories

Capital Comments
Scrooge and Malthus

It’s a strange line, though. There’s a “surplus population”? Great...

Read More
Capital Comments
Policies to Cut Homeowner Property Taxes

Suppose we want to cut property taxes for homeowners. How could we do that? Probably we should...

Read More
Capital Comments
The Federal Reserve Makes Its Move

The Federal Reserve’s press release from Sept. 18 said it would “lower the target...

Read More
Capital Comments
How Do We Know If a Recession Has Started?

How do we know if a recession has started? Sometimes it’s obvious. In March 2020 during...

Read More
Capital Comments
Balances Cover Shortfalls in Indiana’s State Budget

In fiscal 2024, revenues were 1.4 percent higher than in 2023. That’s much slower growth...

Read More
Capital Comments
Fifty Years of Indiana Property Tax Policy

Indiana voters elected Otis Bowen as Governor in 1972 on a pledge of “visible, lasting and...

Read More
To Top