An out-of-this-world gift: The newest tree at this Salt Lake County library was once in outer space​on June 6, 2025 at 12:00 pm

A branch of the Salt Lake County Public Library received an out-of-this world addition this week — and it’s not a novel.

NASA gifted the Salt Lake County Library’s Holliday branch a “moon tree” — a seedling that orbited the moon on a recent lunar mission. Here’s why.   

A branch of the Salt Lake County Public Library received an out-of-this world addition this week — and it’s not a novel.

NASA selected the library’s Holladay location to plant a “moon tree” — a seedling that orbited the moon on a recent lunar mission, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said during Tuesday’s County Council meeting.

The library was chosen because of its in-depth STEM engagement, Wilson added. A Lego brick-building club meets at the Holladay location, for instance, and more science, technology, engineering and math events and experiments are regularly planned.

The moon tree program is part of NASA’s Artemis campaign to explore the moon for scientific discovery and advancement as NASA prepares for human missions to Mars, according to the Artemis website.

The initiative is also a nod to the agency’s Apollo 14 mission, where a NASA astronaut carried seeds into lunar orbit that were later planted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services.

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement helped select recipients from universities, federal agencies and other K-12 organizations that applied to the program nationwide.