ISS Astronauts find long lost tomato after epic eight month space odyssey!

NASA astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) recently solved a quirky space mystery involving a lost tomato. The 1-inch-wide Red Robin dwarf tomato, part of the final harvest for the Veg-05 experiment, went missing after astronaut Frank Rubio's off-Earth harvest in March. Each ISS astronaut received tomato samples, but Rubio's share, stored in a Ziploc bag, floated away before he could enjoy it.

The missing tomato became a humorous inside joke, with Rubio playfully blamed for eating it. However, during a livestreamed event celebrating the ISS' 25th anniversary on December 6, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli announced the tomato's discovery, exonerating Rubio.

The tomato, lost for over eight months, was found by another ISS crew. Rubio, who had spent hours searching for the floating vegetable, had joked during a September livestream, "I'm sure the desiccated tomato will show up at some point and vindicate me, years in the future."

The incident highlights the challenges of maintaining order in the ISS, a space larger than a six-bedroom house, where microgravity allows items to drift unexpectedly. Despite the tomato hunt, Rubio's time on the ISS was filled with numerous scientific experiments. Reflecting on his extended stay, Rubio acknowledged the difficulty of being away from family and friends but expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support received from the community.

While the lost tomato adds a light-hearted touch to Rubio's mission, it also offers insights into the challenges of growing plants in space, relevant to future lunar or Martian missions.