Gorilla suit , music videos , andSpace Olympics : when it come to pass time on the International Space Station ( ISS ) , spaceman have shown themselves to have a good sense of humor . A safe thing , too , as the a la mode ISS shenanigans stirred up some dramatic play , when a missing Lycopersicon esculentum lead the squad to believe that one extremity of the bunch had secretly rust the researchfruit . After eight months , the errant tomato plant has been find , empty the name of the cosmonaut who fall under suspicion .
“ Our good friend Frank Rubio , who headed dwelling house , has been blamed for quite a while for deplete the tomato , ” said NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli during alivestream . “ But we can discharge him . We found the tomato . ”
The tomato in question was a Red Robin dwarf motley being originate as part of the Veg-05 experiment . Its destination was to study craw growth , nutrient composition , microbial nutrient base hit , flavour , and psychological benefit for the gang onboard the outer space place , reportsNASA , as well as looking at the influence of light lineament . But then came a dash of outrage .
Rubio was part of a squad harvesting the tomato in March 2023 , but after receiving a sample contained within a Ziploc pocketbook , he lost batch of the love apple as it float off .
And so start a months - long mystery .
" I spent so many hours bet for that thing , " said Rubio during alivestream in September . " I ’m sure the desiccated tomato will show up at some point and vindicate me , years in the future . "
Fortunately for Rubio ’s reputation , it was only another dyad of months before the tomato in conclusion change state up , clearing his good name . If you ’re enquire how you could lose a Lycopersicon esculentum in a Ziploc bag in a contained place , the truth is that turn a loss target is a with child trouble when you ’re sour in zero gravity .
The astronauts describe the weightlessness as something you ca n’t prepare for on Earth . relegate parabolic flight of steps , which habituate period of controlled loose - fall to make zero - gravity - like conditions , you really ca n’t guess what it ’s like on the ISS until you get there .
Many tools are turn back in bag , but when you open a Ziploc to get one affair out , anything else contained in there is likely to try and make an escape . mislay items unremarkably go missing for a few minutes to hours , often turning up around aviation vent , but the tomato lasted an telling eight months on the lam .
Move aside , sundried . 2023 is the class of the Moon desiccated tomato .
[ H / T : Space.com ]
