8th Newton Space sapling from ISS planted at Austria's Vienna International Center

A unique apple tree that has grown from the seeds which were taken into outer space were planted in the premises of the Vienna International Center (VIC) of Austria, to motivate future generations of aerospace scientists. According to the information provided by the United Nations Information Service report, the special tree was handed to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).  

The United Kingdom Ambassador Corinne Kitsell along with UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo planted the seedling, which will be viewed by attendees of the VIC's Space Exhibition. The United Kingdom mission to the UN Vienna has written about this on their official Twitter account, “The 8th Newton #SpaceSapling /tree that joined @astro_timpeake to the International Space Station was planted” 

The seeds of the space sapling were taken to the International Space Station

The tiny space sapling, which is already 80 cm in height, is a descendent of the 400-year-old tree that prompted Isaac Newton's theory of gravity, is still flourishing at Woolsthorpe Manor in the United Kingdom. The special tree was grown from one of the 26 seeds which the British/European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake took to the International Space Station (ISS) on his ‘Principia' expedition in the year 2015. 

The seeds floated in micro gravitation for nearly six months until they were returned to earth in 2016. The National Trust and the UK Space Agency initiated an open competition in the year 2019 to find a place for each of the trees which might inspire subsequent generations.  

The space sapling is Newton's legacy

UNOOSA's Simonetta Di Pippo remarked during the event that it is an accomplishment for UNOOSA to plant the tree. During the planting ceremony, she went on to say that the space sapling is Newton's legacy and might lead to unexpected discoveries. The UK Ambassador Corinne Kitsell even stated that the Newton space sapling will find a permanent house in the land of the Vienna International Centre, in which ambassadors from different nations converge to negotiate international norms for safe and sustainable space exploration. 

Corinne further added that new ways should be developed to engage individuals in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. When most of the individuals struggle to recall the equation for the gravitational force between two objects, then everybody must recall that Newton formulated his theories while just observing an apple drop from a tree. This special tree will help in placing science in the larger cultural framework of daily life. As the latest arrival to the UN Space Exhibition, she further anticipates that this sapling and its narrative will encourage succeeding generations of people and tourists for years. 

(Image: Twitter/@UKMissionVienna)