Crewed Flights

The Mystery of the Lost Tomato on the ISS Finally Solved!

Published on 12 December 2023

After eight months of searching, the crew got their hands on the tomato that had been lost by astronaut Frank Rubio. The American was suspected of having eaten it. “We can exonerate him. We found the tomato,” joked Jasmin Moghbeli after its discovery.

It’s a mystery that lasted eight months. Where had the cherry tomato grown by Frank Rubio in the ISS vegetable garden gone? The American astronaut searched for it for weeks. His colleagues even suspected him of having eaten it. But a few days ago, during a live broadcast for the 25th anniversary of the ISS, Jasmin Moghbeli revealed that Rubio’s tomato had finally been found.

For several months, Frank Rubio grew Red Rubin cherry tomatoes in XROOTS equipment.

@NASA

SPACE VEGETABLE GARDEN

ASTRONAUT FRANK RUBIO PARTICIPATED IN THE VEG-5 EXPERIMENT TO GROW TOMATOES ON THE ISS

Yet he had looked after it. American astronaut Frank Rubio took part in the Veg-5 experiment which aimed to grow cherry tomatoes on the ISS. To do so, he used the Xroots (Exposed Root On-Orbit Test System), equipment that uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growing media. Asked about the subject, he could not hide his enthusiasm. “My favorite experience is growing tomato plants. I love working with these little plants and seeing them grow and develop,” he confided. “This experiment helps us learn how we can better manage water, nutrients and how to use different techniques like hydroponics to grow plants. Because if one day we go to Mars, we will have to be able to grow our own food.” Last March, he made his first harvest. Each astronaut on the crew received a small sample of tomatoes in a sealed plastic bag. But Rubio’s share mysteriously disappeared.

THE TOMATO JUST DISAPPEARED

FRANK RUBIO ESTIMATED SPENDING BETWEEN 18 AND 20 HOURS OF HIS TIME SEARCHING FOR IT

The 2.5 cm Red Rubin tomato was nowhere to be found

The topic became a joke on the station. Some of his colleagues suspected Frank Rubio of having eaten the cherry tomato. A few days before returning to Earth, Frank Rubio wondered about the fate of the fruit. “I spent so many hours looking for this thing,” laughed Frank Rubio during a live broadcast from the ISS on September 13. “I’m sure the dried tomato will reappear at some point and vindicate me, years in the future.”

It’s harvest time! 🍅

The Veg-05 study is the next step in addressing the need for a continuous fresh-food production system in space. This crop of dwarf tomatoes is heading back to Earth for scientific analysis! pic.twitter.com/4f0LtFwJAY
— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) March 29, 2023

On March 29, 2023, Frank Rubio harvested the Red Rubin cherry tomatoes that he had been looking after for several months. He placed each sample in a closed bag.

@Account X (ex-Twitter) of the ISS

American Jasmin Moghbelli revealed that the tomato had been found, provoking hilarity in the crew.

@NASA

RUBIO CLEARED

THE AMERICAN JASMIN MOGHBELLI ANNOUNCED ON DECEMBER 6 THAT THE TOMATO HAD BEEN FOUND

During a live broadcast to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station, on December 6, ultimately it was Jasmin Moghbeli who wanted to reassure him.

“We found the tomato.”

The crew was being interviewed by Bob Cabana, the commander of the STS-88 mission, the first to the ISS. He wondered if in 25 years there weren’t things that had been lost. “Our friend Frank Rubio has been accused for a while of having eaten tomatoes. But we can exonerate him. We found the tomato,” she replied.

Nearly a year after they went missing, the Red Rubin tomatoes were found in a plastic bag, dehydrated and slightly crushed. Apart from some discoloration, they had no visible microbial or fungal growth.

@NASA

THOUSANDS OF CORNERS

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO LOSE SOMETHING IN THE SPACE STATION

It has to be said that looking for a cherry tomato in the International Space Station is a challenge. In weightlessness, objects can quickly escape the attention of astronauts and hide in corners of the ISS.

Support from Buzz Aldrin

On X (formerly Twitter), astronaut Buzz Aldrin supported Frank Rubio. “ In all honesty, it was a dwarf tomato, so quite small and probably hard to find,” he noted. “Believe me, I’ve had problems with eating in low gravity environments,” he continued, posting a photo of himself trying to eat during zero-gravity flight training. “Who said astronauts can’t have fun? ” concluded the Apollo 11 astronaut.

I thought this was amusing – a tomato that was lost during an experiment aboard the @Space_Station has been found by the new crew. In all fairness, it was a dwarf tomato, so fairly small and probably hard to find – and trust me, I’ve had my issues with food in low gravity… pic.twitter.com/VRnsjQvYcv
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) December 11, 2023