Amman – Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) announced that they had found a stray tomato grown in space, eight months after it first disappeared.
The small tomatoes, which are only 2.5 cm wide, according to Russia Today, were part of the final harvest of the Veg-05 experiment designed to explore the effect of spaceflight on the growth of fruit crops.
The matter was not limited to tomatoes, which can grow in space. The experiment succeeded in growing several types, from lettuce and Chinese cabbage, to red Russian kale, and zinnia flowers, according to NASA.
After the harvest on March 29, each crew member received a sample of the crop in a plastic bag, and were asked not to eat the fruit, due to concerns about possible fungal contamination, according to NASA. But when American astronaut Frank Rubio left his tomato floating through… For months, his colleagues accused him of eating it.
Rubio, who was part of the Veg-05 agricultural experiment, said his portion floated away before he could take a single bite, which was met with skepticism by the rest of the crew, who jokingly accused him of eating it.
During a live broadcast last Wednesday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the International Space Station, according to space.com, NASA astronaut Yasmine Moghbeli noted that Frank Rubio, who has already returned home, has long been accused of… He ate a tomato. “But we can cure him now. We have found the tomato.”
The astronaut did not specify the place where the small tomato was found on the space station or in what condition it was found.
The tomato, which has become an entertaining anecdote among the International Space Station crew, was initially brought to public attention by Rubio in September, during an event he held in space.
