NASA astronaut Frank Rubio returned to Earth in September after finishing the longest solo spaceflight by an American astronaut, and he needed to confront a small crimson flag on his legacy: He had misplaced a tomato someplace on the Worldwide House Station.
He defined that the disappearance of the tomatoes led to hypothesis that he had eaten them in secret, and thus consumed necessary scientific analysis in a match of need to eat recent produce whereas orbiting the Earth.
“The proud second of harvesting the primary tomato in area turned a self-inflicted wound of shedding the primary tomato in area,” Mr. Rubio He said in an interview with NASA In October, he mentioned his report 371 days in area.
The tomato thriller was solved, and Mr. Rubio’s identify was cleared, on Wednesday During a separate interview From NASA’s Johnson House Middle in Houston with the crew presently aboard the area station.
“Our expensive pal Frank Rubio, who returned dwelling, has been blamed for a very long time as a result of he ate tomatoes, however we will exonerate him,” Main Yasmine Moghbeli mentioned. “We discovered tomatoes.”
Main Moghbeli didn’t describe the situation of the tomatoes or the place they have been discovered. NASA didn’t instantly reply to emailed questions on Monday.
The tomatoes have been grown as a part of a mission to check how air- and water-based farming methods have an effect on vegetation.
Mr. Rubio mentioned in an interview with NASA this 12 months that one in every of his favourite science initiatives on the area station was learning tomato vegetation. “I really like working with this little plant and seeing it develop and develop,” he mentioned.
Though the Worldwide House Station is comparatively small, there may be loads of room for a small tomato to suit inside. The area station is 356 toes lengthy and has six sleeping quarters, two bogs and a health club. According to NASA.
Then there may be the continual expanse past it. Main Moghbeli was one in every of two astronauts who misplaced a device bag in area in November whereas performing upkeep on the area station.
Nobody recommended that tomatoes have been floating in area. As an alternative, suspicion fell squarely on Mr. Rubio.
NASA’s deputy administrator, Pam Milroy, pestered Mr. Rubio in regards to the lacking tomatoes in SeptemberAnd he requested him if he had eaten it.
“I want I did it at this level, as a result of I believe everybody thinks I did it,” Rubio responded with amusing.
Upon his return to Earth in October, Mr. Rubio mentioned in an interview with NASA He put the tomatoes in a small bag To point out it to a bunch of scholars who have been about to make a name to a fellow crew member.
“I used to be so assured I caught it the place I used to be supposed to stay it, after which I got here again and it was gone,” he mentioned.
Mr. Rubio then started the seek for the lacking tomatoes, which he estimated took between eight and 20 hours. “I wished to search out it principally so I might show I did not eat the tomatoes,” he mentioned.
He guessed that the tomatoes have been “so dried you could not inform what they have been” and would have been discarded.
“I hope that sometime somebody will discover it, a wilted little factor in a Ziploc bag, they usually can show the truth that I did not eat tomatoes in area,” Mr. Rubio mentioned.