The loss of a tomato grown on board the International Space Station by an astronaut “gardener,” in this case American Frank Rubio, was ridiculed and sparked a joke! Several astronauts accused the space gardener of simply… eating it! Yes, the little tomato was finally found aboard the orbital complex eight months after its disappearance.
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Aboard the International Space Station, which recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its construction, numerous experiments are being carried out in numerous areas, including several food growing programs (crops, vegetables and fruits). This tomato story arose as part of NASA’s Veg-05 experiment, which resembles a “space vegetable garden” where astronauts grow salads, various types of cabbage, and therefore tomatoes.
Gardening and growing in the station
This most serious experiment is part of a very comprehensive space food independence program aimed at producing fresh food in orbit. A necessary technological bet as we prepare for the settlement of humans on the Moon and the first expeditions to Mars, which will require the consumption of fresh food, less for practical reasons (minimizing the mass to be launched from Earth) than for positive effects on the mental health of astronauts.
These food experiments are not only intended to show that food (fruit and vegetables) can grow in weightlessness. They also serve to ensure that astronauts can safely consume everything that grows with a nutrient content adapted to their condition. These experiments also have the advantage of listing the needs of these foods for optimal growth, taking into account the technical aspects (ventilation, heating, lighting) and the inputs necessary for growth (fertilizer, watering, irrigation, etc.).
This data set, whose first experiment dates back to 2014 (Veg-01), must be used to create an automatic and continuous system for producing fresh food.
A good-natured joke
Back to our tomato: this fruiting vegetable of the “Red Robin” variety was grown as part of NASA’s Veg-05 plant, vegetable and fruit growing program, which was carried out by American astronaut Frank Rubio earlier this year. During the final harvest of “Red Robin” tomatoes in March 2023, every astronaut aboard the ISS received a few tomatoes, but Frank Rubio’s tomatoes, stored in an airtight bag, were lost before the astronaut could get them. Eat!
Within a small group of astronauts stationed aboard the ISS during the 371 days of Frank Rubio’s orbital stay, a joke arose about the disappearance of this 2.5 centimeter tomato, and some did not hesitate to blame the ISS gardener, to have eaten them! In the end it was nothing like that. The tomato was found a few days ago in an advanced state of desiccation, hardly appetizing.
Originally posted 2023-12-13 11:12:17.