To see if it was possible to grow vegetables in space, astronaut Frank Rubio grew a tomato plant on the International Space Station. With success, the tomatoes grew and could be harvested earlier this year.
Because of the possibility of a fungal infection, the astronauts were not allowed to eat the tomatoes right away, but were given a few in a bag.
Tomatoes are missing
Rubio discovered that one of his tomatoes was missing. “A crew member was on a video call with some kids on Earth and wanted to show off the first tomato in space. I secured the tomato with Velcro, and I was sure of it, but when I went to pick up the tomato again, shortly after, it was gone.”
During a press conference, Rubio said he spent “between 8 and 20 hours of his free time looking for tomatoes.” As an American, the astronaut made the longest spaceflight ever. It remained in orbit for approximately 371 days. Earlier this year, he returned home without tomatoes.
I find it
Once back on Earth, he continued his search. His colleagues were now joking and accusing him of eating tomatoes. “I wanted to prove that this is not the case.”
The seven crew members left behind searched for the missing tomatoes for months. Now, eight months later, the mystery has been solved. Tomatoes found. It was not revealed where the fruit was found and what it looked like months later.
