Astronaut Profile
Stuart A. Roosa
Command Module Pilot
Stuart Roosa orbited the Moon alone during Apollo 14 with hundreds of tree seeds tucked into his personal kit, seeds that grew into the 'Moon Trees' planted across the United States.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Command Module Pilot • Deceased
Biography
The person behind the mission
Stuart A. Roosa was a United States Air Force pilot and NASA astronaut who served as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 14 in 1971. A former smokejumper, Roosa carried around 500 tree seeds with him into lunar orbit as part of a joint project with the U.S. Forest Service; the seeds later germinated on Earth and were planted around the country as 'Moon Trees,' many of which still stand today. While Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell explored the lunar surface, Roosa conducted extensive photography and observations from orbit aboard the Command Module Kitty Hawk.
Astronaut Details
Born
August 16, 1933
Died
December 12, 1994
Birthplace
Durango, Colorado, USA
Role
Command Module Pilot
Program
Apollo
Time in Space
9 days, 1 hour
EVA Time
None
Missions
Apollo 14
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal