Stuart Roosa

Stuart Roosa was a pilot.

He flew many kinds of planes. He also worked with forest fires.

He went on a trip to the Moon. He stayed in a ship. He flew around the Moon 34 times.

Stuart took seeds on his trip. He took seeds from many trees. These seeds went into space.

When he came home, the seeds grew. People planted them in the ground. We call them Moon Trees.

These trees are very special to us. They grew from seeds that saw the Moon.

Stuart Roosa was a pilot and an astronaut.

He grew up in Oklahoma. Before he went to space, he was a smokejumper. This means he jumped into forest fires to help. He also flew many fast jet planes for the Air Force.

In 1971, Stuart went on the Apollo 14 mission.

Two other men landed on the Moon. Stuart stayed in the Command Module, which was the main part of the ship. He flew around the Moon 34 times. He stayed in orbit for 33 hours to do science tests.

Stuart took many seeds into space. He took seeds from trees like redwood and pine. When he came back to Earth, the seeds grew. People call these "Moon Trees."

These trees are special because their seeds traveled to the Moon. Stuart died in 1994. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Stuart Roosa was a man who explored both the forests and the stars.

He was born on August 16, 1933, in Durango, Colorado. Later, he grew up in Claremore, Oklahoma. Roosa was an aeronautical engineer and a pilot for the United States Air Force. He also worked as a smokejumper. This job meant he jumped into active forest fires to help. He did this in Oregon and California during the 1953 fire season. He eventually became a NASA astronaut too.

During the Apollo 14 mission, Roosa had a very important job.

The mission lasted from January 31 to February 9, 1971. Two other men, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell, landed on the Moon. Roosa stayed in the Command Module named Kitty Hawk. He orbited the Moon 34 times while the others were on the surface. He spent 33 hours in solo orbit to do science experiments. He was one of only 24 people to travel to the Moon.

Roosa worked hard to prepare for his time in space. He studied at Oklahoma State University and the University of Arizona. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1960. He earned a degree in aeronautical engineering with honors. Before joining NASA in 1966, he was a test pilot. He flew many different planes like the F-101 Voodoo. He even served at Tachikawa Air Base in Japan. He logged 5,500 hours of flying time in total.

One of his most famous acts involved tiny seeds.

Roosa carried seeds from several types of trees into space. These included redwood, Douglas fir, sycamore, sweet gum, and loblolly pine. The seeds were germinated after he returned to Earth. They were planted all across the United States. People call these special trees "Moon Trees." These trees connect the life on Earth to the Moon.

Roosa lived a very busy life after his time with NASA. He worked in many different businesses around the world. In 1981, he started a company called Gulf Coast Coors. He served as its president until he passed away. He died on December 12, 1994, in Washington, D.C. He was 61 years old.

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. An elementary school in Oklahoma is named after him to remember his work.

Stuart Allen Roosa was a man of many different roles. He was an aeronautical engineer and a United States Air Force pilot. He also served as a smokejumper and a NASA astronaut.

His life combined the study of flight with the exploration of space. He was a key figure in the Apollo program during the 1970s. Roosa is remembered for his technical skill and his unique contributions to science.

Roosa's journey into flight began with intense training and diverse jobs. He started as a smokejumper with the U.S. Forest Service. In the 1953 fire season, he dropped into active fires in Oregon and California. He later became a pilot for the Air Force. He attended the Aerospace Research Pilot School.

He served as an experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base. He also flew many aircraft, such as the F-101 Voodoo and the F-100 Super Sabre. He eventually logged 5,500 total hours of flying time.

In 1966, Roosa was selected as part of a group of 19 NASA astronauts. He had many responsibilities before his famous lunar mission. He served as a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 9 in 1969. He also worked as the Capsule communicator (CAPCOM) during the Apollo 1 fire in 1967.

These roles helped him prepare for the complexities of spaceflight. His background in engineering and testing made him a vital part of the team.

Roosa's most significant achievement was his role in the Apollo 14 mission. This mission took place from January 31 to February 9, 1971.

While Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell landed on the Moon, Roosa stayed in orbit. He was the Command Module Pilot for the spacecraft named Kitty Hawk. He orbited the Moon 34 times during the mission. He spent 33 hours in solo orbit to conduct many scientific experiments. He was one of only 24 people to ever travel to the Moon.

A unique part of his mission involved biological science. Roosa carried seeds from five different types of trees into space. These included redwood, Douglas fir, sycamore, sweet gum, and loblolly pine. This was part of a joint project between the U.S. Forest Service and NASA. Once he returned to Earth, the seeds were germinated. They were then planted throughout the United States. These are known today as "Moon Trees" because of their journey into orbit.

After his time at NASA, Roosa moved into the world of international business. He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1973. In 1981, he founded a company called Gulf Coast Coors. He served as the president of this company until his death. He retired from the Air Force with the rank of colonel in 1976. His career showed how skills from space exploration can apply to many fields.

Roosa received many honors for his service to his country. He was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. He also received the City of New York Gold Medal in 1971.

He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1983. Later, he was posthumously inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997. His legacy lives on through the Moon Trees and the school named after him in Oklahoma.

Stuart Roosa passed away on December 12, 1994, in Washington, D.C. He was 61 years old. His death was caused by complications from pancreatitis. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife, Joan.

His life remains a bridge between the forests of Earth and the vastness of space.