The Great Tomato Mystery of Space: An Astronaut’s Lighthearted Whodunnit
Perhaps nowhere else in the universe is a fresh, ripe tomato more valuable than on the International Space Station (ISS), where astronauts endure months-long stints subsisting mainly on prepackaged, shelf-stable goods. However, the value of this humble fruit skyrocketed to astronomical proportions when astronaut Frank Rubio became embroiled in a lighthearted yet perplexing whodunnit that took months to solve.
It all started earlier in 2023 when Rubio harvested one of the first tomatoes ever grown in space. Eager to share this milestone with the world, Rubio placed the precious tomato in a small bag intending to show it off during a public event with schoolkids. “I was pretty confident that I Velcroed it where I was supposed to Velcro it … and then I came back and it was gone,” Rubio recounted during an October media event.
In the microgravity environment of space, where anything not anchored is at risk of floating away, the tomato disappeared into the labyrinthian passageways of the ISS. Rubio, determined to find the missing fruit, dedicated numerous hours scouring every nook and cranny of the space station. Despite his efforts, the tomato remained elusive.
Speculation ran rampant among Rubio’s fellow astronauts, with some jokingly accusing him of eating the tomato himself. “Unfortunately — because that’s just human nature — a lot of people are like, ‘He probably ate the tomato,'” Rubio lamented. “And I wanted to find it mostly so I could prove like I did not eat the tomato.”
However, Rubio’s innocence was finally vindicated during a conference when members of the ISS crew revealed that the tomato had been located. “Rubio had been blamed for quite a while for eating the tomato,” NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli chuckled. “But we can exonerate him.”
Although the exact whereabouts of the tomato remained undisclosed, Rubio surmised back in October that it had likely desiccated beyond recognition due to the space station’s humidity. “It probably desiccated to the point where you couldn’t tell what it was,” he mused.
With the mystery of the missing tomato finally solved, attention turned to Rubio’s remarkable journey aboard the ISS. His record-breaking stay of more than a year in microgravity surpassed all previous records set by US astronauts. Originally slated for a six-month mission, Rubio’s tenure was unexpectedly extended following the discovery of a coolant leak on his original ride, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, while docked to the ISS.
Reflecting on the challenges of his extended mission, Rubio shared, “I kind of allowed myself a day to feel sad and sorry for myself, and then I try to really make a conscious decision to say OK let’s have a good attitude and let’s just try to do the best job possible.”
As the case of the missing space tomato comes to a close, it serves as a quirky footnote to Rubio’s historic journey—one that underscores the camaraderie and humor shared among astronauts amidst the challenges of life in space. And while the tomato may have been lost to the abyss of the ISS, Rubio’s resilience and dedication remain a testament to the indomitable spirit of human exploration.
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/gA4kjdf8S6o?si=iCPngk9mrVLjieQt
- https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/08/world/tomato-frank-rubio-space-station-nasa-scn/index.html
- https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/nasa-reveals-first-image-of-space-tomatoes-that-went-missing-on-the-iss-for-8-months-and-theyre-gross
- https://chat.openai.com/
- https://readloud.net/
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