An amazing discovery: astronauts found a tomato that was forgotten in space for 8 months

A tomato fruit that had been in space for 8 months was discovered on the International Space Station. The unusual discovery was reported by astronaut Jasmine Mogbeli on December 7, during a live broadcast on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the ISS.

This tomato was part of the ground harvest collected in the spring by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio. It is noted that the 1-inch-wide dwarf tomato was a crucial component of the final harvest of the Veg-05 experiment, the Arab Times reported.

Rubio carried out this project on his own despite some difficulties. After the harvest on March 29, 2023, all ISS astronauts received tomato samples, but Rubio's portion, which was in a ziplock bag, disappeared. He has since been accused of eating the tomato himself.

Rubio said he spent a lot of time looking for the fruit because he believed it would eventually fulfill his expectations in the future. It is noted that this incident was able to shed light on potential problems with plant growth on the Moon and Mars, which is the goal of a series of experiments.

Frank Rubio admitted that the fruit could have dried out due to low humidity at the station. He noted that despite the constant stress and emotional strain associated with prolonged separation from his family, this incident with the tomato added a little humor to Rubio's mission.