Behind Mary W. Jackson Elementary School in Hampton, a small loblolly pine sapling sits protected by a metal fence. Students planted the tree a few months ago – but it started its life far, far away.
The pine is growing from one of almost 2,000 seeds that orbited the moon during NASA’s Artemis I mission in late 2022.
“This is one of the most unique programs that I’ve been a part of within Hampton City Schools,” Richard Mason, chair of the city’s school board, said Wednesday at a ceremony celebrating the tree planting.
The project honors the legacy of the school’s namesake, he said. Jackson was NASA’s first Black female engineer and worked at Hampton’s Langley Research Center for most of her career. She was one of three Black women profiled in the “Hidden Figures” book and movie…