Great journeys begin from the smallest things
Adenot chose a liquidambar tree for its resilience and strength, mirroring qualities needed for space exploration and turning red each autumn like rocket flames. The tree-planting tradition stems from Soviet cosmonauts' customs and has been adopted by ESA astronauts since 2009, creating a natural timeline of European spaceflight achievements.
- Sophie Adenot planted a liquidambar tree on January 5, 2026, at ESA's Cologne center before launching February 14th
- The tree-planting tradition originated with Soviet cosmonauts in Kazakhstan and was adopted by ESA astronauts starting in 2009
- Adenot's Crew-12 mission included NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, ESA astronaut Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev
- The crew's gravity indicator is a crocheted planet called Gaia with Earth at center and four satellites chosen by each astronaut
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot planted an American sweetgum tree before launching to the International Space Station, continuing a symbolic tradition that connects space explorers to Earth through nature and resilience.
Sophie Adenot stood in the grounds of the European Space Agency's astronaut center in Cologne, Germany, on January 5th, more than a month before her scheduled launch. In her hands was a liquidambar tree—an American sweetgum, chosen deliberately for what it would become. She planted it in soil that already held the trees of those who had gone before her, each one a living marker of European spaceflight. Within weeks, she would ride a Dragon capsule into orbit. The tree would stay behind, growing.
The ritual of planting a tree before spaceflight is not new. Soviet cosmonauts began the practice in Kazakhstan decades ago, marking their departures with an act of cultivation. The European Space Agency adopted the tradition at its Cologne center, and astronauts from the 2009 and 2022 selection classes who flew to space had all participated. Adenot's tree, which she named Epsilon after her mission designation, became part of a natural chronology—a grove that documents the arc of crewed European spaceflight through the simple fact of growth.
The choice of liquidambar was not incidental. The tree is known for its resilience and strength, qualities that mirror what space exploration demands of those who undertake it. Each autumn, its leaves turn a deep red, a color that Adenot saw as an echo of rocket flames and the spirit of exploration itself. She reflected on the symbolism afterward: "This tree reminds me that great journeys begin from the smallest things. As a seed becomes a strong tree, a space mission begins with small steps that will become something significant. The smallest actions, added together, can lead to great achievements."
Adenot launched from Cape Canaveral on February 14th as part of Crew-12, a four-person team that included NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev. Before the launch, the crew observed other traditions that have accumulated over decades of spaceflight. They entered quarantine to ensure no unwanted microorganisms reached the International Space Station. They chose a special meal to eat before departure. They selected a gravity indicator—a small toy that would float when they reached weightlessness—which the crew had decided would be a crocheted planet called Gaia, with Earth at its center and four satellites, one chosen by each astronaut. Adenot selected a banana, a common fresh fruit on Earth but rarely eaten in orbit. She wanted, she explained, a playful reminder of kitchens and homes, a familiar piece of the world she was leaving.
The crew also chose the songs they would hear during the drive to the launch pad. Adenot selected "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, which she said summarized her life philosophy; "I'm Good (Blue)" by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha, which she felt captured the special moment of a pre-dawn journey; and "Valhalla Calling" by Miracle of Sound and Peyton Parrish, a song she had listened to at the start of every extravehicular activity training session, a call to adventure that had become part of her preparation.
On the morning of launch, the crew left the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center for the last time before flight. They waved to family and friends—a tradition that traces back to the Apollo era. They signed their names on the wall of the White Room before entering the capsule. Then they rode the elevator to the top of the Falcon 9 rocket and strapped in. The liquidambar tree in Cologne continued its slow work of putting down roots, becoming part of a living record of the people who had looked up and decided to go.
Adenot's tree will grow as a testament to the qualities that define crewed spaceflight: strength, resilience, and international collaboration. As it matures, it will serve as a durable reminder of her journey and of the knowledge she will bring back to Earth. The smallest actions, she had said, added together, lead to great achievements. A seed planted in winter. A rocket launched in darkness. A woman in orbit, looking down.
Citas Notables
This tree reminds me that great journeys begin from the smallest things. As a seed becomes a strong tree, a space mission begins with small steps that will become something significant.— Sophie Adenot
A fruta fresca común en la Tierra, pero que rara vez se come en órbita. Quería un recordatorio lúdico de las cocinas y los hogares, un pedazo familiar de la Tierra.— Sophie Adenot, on choosing a banana as her gravity indicator
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why plant a tree before you leave the planet? It seems like the opposite gesture—you're going up, and you're putting something in the ground.
That's exactly the point. You're about to do something extraordinary, something that takes you away from everything familiar. The tree is an anchor. It says: I will come back to this. This place, this ground, this life—it matters.
And the liquidambar specifically—why that tree and not another?
Because it's resilient. It survives hard winters and comes back stronger. It turns red in autumn like rocket flames. When you're training for spaceflight, you're thinking about what you need to be—what qualities will keep you alive up there. The tree is a mirror of that.
The tradition comes from Soviet cosmonauts. Why did the ESA decide to keep it?
Because some rituals work. They connect you to something larger than yourself—to the history of exploration, to the people who went before you, to the Earth you're leaving. When you plant a tree in Cologne knowing that cosmonauts planted trees in Kazakhstan, you're part of a chain that goes back decades.
And the banana as a gravity indicator—that's whimsical. Does that serve a purpose, or is it just fun?
It's both. Yes, it tells you when you've reached weightlessness. But it's also a way of keeping something human in the capsule. A reminder that you're not just a pilot or an engineer—you're a person who likes bananas, who has a kitchen, who comes from somewhere ordinary.
What happens to the tree while she's in space?
It grows. It sits in the ground in Cologne with all the other trees planted by astronauts before her. When she comes back, it will be taller. It will be a living record of the time she spent in orbit.