A tomato that NASA astronaut Frank Rubio lost in space eight months ago has been found. The tomato, a 1-inch-wide Red Robin dwarf tomato, was among the final harvest of the Veg-05 experiment.
A mystery surrounding a tomato lost in space came to an end after eight months, as the vegetable (or fruit) surprisingly showed up on the International Space Station (ISS). A little tomato was lost by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio during an off-Earth harvest in March.
“Our dear friend Frank Rubio, who left, has been blamed for eating the tomato for a long. We can exonerate him. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli remarked, “We found the tomato,” in a live-streamed ceremony on Wednesday (Dec. 6) to honor the ISS’s 25th anniversary.
NASA’s Rubio made fun of losing the tomato. In the Veg-05 experiment’s last harvest, Rubio maintained the 1-inch-wide (2.5 centimeters) Red Robin dwarf tomato through growing pains.
Each ISS astronaut received tomato samples after March 29. Unfortunately, Rubio’s Ziploc bag of food floated away before he could eat it.
The astronauts first discussed the missing tomato on September 13 when Rubio staged his own space ceremony to celebrate a US astronaut’s unexpected record year.
“I spent so many hours looking for that thing,” Rubio joked during the September ISS livestream. “I’m sure the desiccated tomato will show up at some point and vindicate me, years in the future,” said.
The ISS is larger than a six-bedroom house, and microgravity makes items drift to unexpected places. NASA typically checks vent intakes for such things. In a station with 25 years of goods, it’s easy to lose things.
Nearly two weeks after returning home safely with his delayed crew after 371 days in space, reporters asked Rubio about the missing tomato on October 13.
Rubio spent “18 to 20 hours of my own time looking for that.” without finding the tomato.
“The issue is that humidity is 17% up there. Perhaps someone tossed away the bag because it was so dried that you couldn’t identify what it was “Rubio added, “Hopefully someone will find it someday: a small, shrivelled object.”
Conclusion
An off-Earth harvest in March cost NASA astronaut Frank Rubio a small tomato. The Veg-05 experiment’s final yield included a 1-inch Red Robin dwarf tomato. Each ISS astronaut received tomato samples after March 29. The Ziploc bag held Rubio’s share, which flew away before he could eat it. When Rubio staged his space celebration on September 13, marking a record year in orbit, the astronauts first discussed the missing tomato. Things can float away in microgravity on the ISS, which is larger than a six-bedroom house. On October 13, Rubio reported the tomato was never located after “18 to 20 hours of my own time looking for that.” He said the humidity up there is 17% and it’s certainly parched enough to be unrecognizable.
