Tomato lost in space experiment

A tomato the size of a two-euro coin became the subject of an eight-month search aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The fruit was part of NASA's Veg-05 experiment, which aimed to test plant cultivation in microgravity conditions.

Tomato harvested and misplaced

The tomato, a dwarf variety named Red Robin, was harvested by astronaut Frank Rubio as part of the experiment. Rubio placed the tomato in a Ziploc bag, but the bag disappeared before he could consume it.

Search for the missing tomato

Rubio spent between 18 and 20 hours searching for the lost tomato, according to reports, before admitting during a live broadcast from the ISS that he had lost track of it. The search became a running joke among the crew of Expedition 70, which succeeded Rubio aboard the station.

Tomato found after eight months

The mystery was finally solved eight months later when astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli found the tomato during a live broadcast celebrating the 25th anniversary of the ISS. Moghbeli announced that the tomato had been found inside the very bag in which it was originally placed.

Two tomatoes recovered

NASA later confirmed that there was not one, but two lost tomatoes. The recovered fruits were dehydrated and slightly crushed but without any trace of microbial or fungal growth. NASA attributes this to the low humidity level aboard the station, around seventeen percent.

Rubio returns to Earth

Rubio had already returned to Earth several weeks prior to the announcement, after 371 days in orbit, a record American duration for a space flight, extended due to technical issues with his Soyuz spacecraft. The story highlights the challenges of daily life aboard the ISS, where even a small tomato can become the focus of a collective investigation.