It takes a village to raise a child – and it takes seven astronauts to find a tomato lost in space.
Frank Rubio, NASA Astronaut and US Army Lieutenant Colonel, became a pioneer when he planted and harvested one of the first tomatoes ever grown in space in March of this year.
But when it inexplicably disappeared one day, people assumed he had eaten it.
“I’m pretty sure I attached it where I was supposed to velcro it,” he said during a NASA briefing after being in space. “And then I came back, and it was gone.”
Rubio had just accomplished the longest space flight by an American, having been in low Earth orbit for 371 days.
“Rubio’s journey in space embodies the essence of exploration,” a NASA statement read, forgiving Rubio for missing the fruit.
Astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency checks tomato plants growing aboard the International Space Station on Oct. 21. 2022. Nicole Mann/NASA
Rubio grows tomatoes on the International Space Station, a modular space station that collaborates with space agencies across the US, Japan, Europe, Russia and Canada.
Microgravity on ships means that uncontrolled items will often float uncontrollably.
Rubio suspects that this is the case with tomatoes.
“I spent many hours looking for that,” he said.
“I want to find it so I can prove like I didn’t eat tomatoes.”
“I’m sure the dried tomatoes will show up at some point and prove me, years to come.”
Fortunately he only had to wait about two months.
ISS members revealed they had found it during Wednesday’s stream celebrating the station’s 25th anniversary.
Microgravity on ships means that uncontrolled items will often float uncontrollably. Rubio suspects that this is the case with tomatoes. NASA / SWNS
“Our good friend Frank Rubio … has long been blamed for eating tomatoes. But we can free him,” said astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, who arrived at the station in August.
The condition of the tomato is not confirmed.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
