Stan Krugman, Geneticist

Stan Krugman used his expertise to determine which tree seeds to send into orbit aboard Apollo 14. To make sure the trees were well taken care of, Krugman helped determine which tree species each organization should get based on their location and climate conditions.

Stan Krugman grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended both the University of Missouri and University of California, Berkeley as he earned his degree in Forestry and a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology.

Krugman went on to work at the Forest Service where he was placed in charge of a joint project between NASA and the Forest Service. The agencies planned to fly tree seeds into orbit around the Moon to determine the effects of deep space on seeds and raise awareness about the Forest Service and the forest firefighters called smokejumpers.

After the flight, the seeds were taken to a Forest Service research station in California where they were germinated and grown into seedlings. During the 1976 U.S. bicentennial celebration, nearly 450 seedlings were gifted to schools, national parks and national forests, NASA centers, and other public places including a loblolly pine given to the White House.

1. After the Apollo 14-flown Moon Tree seeds completed lunar orbit and were returned to Earth, a mishap occurred during the decontamination process. The seeds were exposed to a vacuum environment when their container burst open, mixing the seed species together. Stan worried the seeds might not germinate, but Forest Service employees were able to germinate the seeds and grew them into seedlings. Approximately 450 seedlings survived.
2. A smokejumper is a firefighter who parachutes into remote places where wildfires are burning.