posted April 30, 2012 07:31 PM               

Officials marked Arbor Day here by planting a tree grown from space-traveling seeds that flew 1.5 million miles aboard the space shuttle Columbia with an astronaut from New Jersey.

The city was one of 35 in the state randomly selected from about 600 entries during the 86th annual New Jersey Shade Tree Federation Conference last year. The nonprofit federation assists individuals and agencies entrusted with the selection, planting and care of trees.

Astronaut Gregory Linteris, a Bergen County native, took eastern white pine tree seeds with him in 1997 on Columbia's 22nd voyage. The mission lasted three days, 23 hours, 13 minutes and 38 seconds, according to NASA.

Once on Earth, the seeds germinated in only seven days — about half the normal germination time. NASA then gave them to the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.

The tree was planted Friday — on National Arbor Day — by Mayor Robert Romano along with members of the city's Environmental Commission, Sue Fenili and David Lowenstern. The city is withholding the location of the tree until it matures in a few years.

A memorial plaque is being considered for the tree at a later date to memorialize the mission and the Columbia crew. In 2003, the shuttle's seven-member crew died when Columbia broke up while returning to Earth.

posted April 30, 2012 07:36 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Fezman92:
...although it is disappointing that the writer did not even take the short time to look up the name of the mission.

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The article mentions the seeds flew on the 22nd flight of Columbia, the four-day STS-83 mission. But as we know, that flight was the first and only re-flight of the program, the crew launching three months later on STS-94.

posted May 01, 2012 09:07 AM               

That said, there's talk of a space tree being planted in Long Branch this year, although Arbor Day has come and gone. If it happens, and Linteris is there, I'll ask for a clarification as to whether or not the seeds were reflown.