Moon Tree at WKCTC Officially Named ‘Luna Root’ in Community Celebration

A tiny seed that traveled to the moon has now taken root in western Kentucky — and thanks to a creative sixth grader, it finally has a name: Luna Root.

The Challenger Learning Center at Paducah, on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College, celebrated the naming of its Artemis Moon Tree during a public ceremony Sept. 25, officially announcing “Luna Root” as the winning name following a monthlong community engagement initiative.

The winning name was submitted by Cara Torres, a sixth-grade student at Heath Middle School.
“I chose the name Luna Root because something as small as a seed traveled all the way to the Moon and still came home to grow its roots,” Torres said.

Another top finalist was “Gumpa Ray,” submitted by Liam Howland, also a sixth-grade student at Heath Middle School. The name combined “gum” for gum tree, “-pa” for Paducah, and “Ray” as a nod to the Moon’s rays.

The CLC received the Moon Tree seedling in 2024 after applying to NASA’s Artemis Moon Tree program. The CLC is one of six organizations in Kentucky to receive one of the 2,000 seedlings distributed nationwide. Other recipients in the state include Graves County High School.

The seedling was planted on the WKCTC campus in October 2024 and survived its first winter. On Aug. 11, the college launched a public naming contest, inviting community members and students to submit entries electronically. A campus committee selected four finalists from more than 50 name submissions. More than 1,700 people voted on the final name.

The Moon Tree program is a joint effort between NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Five species of tree seeds were flown aboard the Artemis I mission as part of a national conservation and STEM education initiative.

The Artemis Moon Tree program honors the legacy of Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa, a former Forest Service smokejumper who carried tree seeds into lunar orbit in 1971. Many of those Apollo-era “Moon Trees” were planted at monuments and public spaces across the country during the nation’s bicentennial celebration.

A new generation of Moon Trees — including the CLC’s — traveled aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft for approximately four weeks, orbiting thousands of miles beyond the Moon before returning to Earth.

Local sponsors for the naming celebration included Scott Raymond, public affairs officer, and Shane Brady, partnership coordinator, both with the USDA Forest Service at Land Between the Lakes.

Recipient organizations will continue receiving Moon Tree seedlings on a rolling basis through fall 2025, with distribution timed to optimal planting cycles.

Make sure to visit Luna Root at the Challenger Learning Center at Paducah on the campus of WKCTC.

For more information about the Artemis Moon Tree program, visit https://stem.nasa.gov