Space agency NASA took to YouTube on Friday to share fascinating footage of what two tiny tomatoes looked like after they were lost in space in 2022. Notably, Astronaut Frank Rubio Rubio had accidentally lost the fruits while harvesting for the eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS) experiment, a soil-less plant experiment. Other astronauts had joked that maybe Mr Rubio had eaten the tomatoes. However, the two space-grown fruits which had been missing for eight months were recently found by the ISS crew, bringing an end to the light-hearted mystery.
The space agency revealed that the tomatoes were ''dehydrated and slightly squashed with some discolouration but without any visible microbial or fungal growth.''
''Two rogue tomatoes have been recovered nearly a year after astronaut Frank Rubio accidentally lost track of them while harvesting for the XROOTS experiment, proving Rubio did not eat the tomatoes as they previously suspected. The rogue fruit was found in a plastic bag dehydrated and slightly squished with some discoloration but with no visible microbial or fungal growth,'' the video was captioned.
''XROOTS uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth media. Current plant systems may not scale well in a space environment due to mass, maintenance, and sanitation issues. XROOT's soil-less techniques could provide suitable solutions for plant systems needed for future space exploration missions,'' NASA added.
Watch the video here:
According to NASA, the tomatoes were grown without soil using hydroponic and aeroponic nourishing techniques to demonstrate space agricultural methods to sustain crews on long-term space flights farther away from Earth, where resupply missions become impossible.
''The benefits of growing plants in space don't stop there, astronauts report there are psychological benefits to time spent gardening, increasing their quality of life in space, and boosting their morale. Research aboard the space station is advancing the technology and scientific knowledge needed to successfully grow plants in space and help humans push the boundaries of space travel,'' NASA said in a blog post.
