In an unexpected turn of events, the elusive first tomato ever grown in space, which mysteriously disappeared eight months ago, has finally been located by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This revelation comes on the 25th anniversary of the orbiter, adding an intriguing chapter to the cosmic saga surrounding the misplaced fruit.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli shared the breakthrough, stating, “Well, we might have found something that someone had been looking for for quite a while.” This historic tomato, a red robin variety, holds significance as it was the inaugural produce cultivated in space. The accomplishment was attributed to American astronaut Frank Rubio, who set a record for the longest spaceflight at 370 days.
Space-grown tomato, International Space Station (ISS)
Rubio’s green-thumb achievement took place in March as part of a NASA experiment aimed at cultivating fruits and vegetables in space for extended missions. However, the jubilation of this milestone was tempered when Rubio lost track of the tomato, a crucial resource in the confines of the space environment.
Recalling the incident in a NASA interview from October, Rubio explained, “I harvested, I think, what was the first tomato in space, and I put it in a little bag.” Unfortunately, during an attempt to showcase the prized produce to students, he misplaced the tomato after removing it from the safety of a Ziploc bag.
“I was pretty confident that I Velcroed it where I was supposed to Velcro it, and then I came back and it was gone,” Rubio lamented. Despite dedicating 18 to 20 hours to the search, he speculated that the tomato might have desiccated or inadvertently ended up in the trash due to the weightless conditions in space.
The microgravity environment of the ISS poses challenges as unsecured objects tend to float away. The station, larger than a six-bedroom house, provides numerous hiding spots for items adrift in space, making the recovery of a single tomato a daunting task.
In the months following the disappearance, rumors circulated that Rubio might have consumed the tomato himself—an allegation he consistently refuted until the recent discovery. In October, he half-joked, half-manifested, “Hopefully, somebody will find it someday, some little shriveled thing in a Ziploc bag, and they can prove the fact that I did not eat the tomato in space.”
Moghbeli swiftly defended Rubio’s innocence upon announcing the tomato’s retrieval, stating, “Our good friend, Frank Rubio, who headed home, has been blamed for quite a while for eating the tomato, but we can exonerate him.”
While details regarding the tomato’s exact location and its current condition remain undisclosed, it’s reasonable to assume that its culinary applications have been limited during its extended absence in space. The rediscovery marks a peculiar and lighthearted event in the ongoing quest for sustainable agriculture beyond Earth’s atmosphere, providing a moment of celebration for the astronauts aboard the ISS.
