The first tomato planted in space disappeared 8 months ago, and it has been one of the biggest mysteries in the universe. Until this week, seven astronauts on the International Space Station spotted these mischievous little tomatoes. This is the first time that small tomatoes have been grown in space and can be harvested.
Planted in March of this year by American astronaut Frank Rubio, the astronaut holds the record for the longest space flight of 370 days.
These red robin-like tomatoes are the highlight of a NASA experiment that is part of a long-term mission to grow produce in space.
Frank Rubio says it's a proud moment.
Due to the weightless environment of space, any object that is not fixed or tied up has the potential to float.
This ISS is bigger than a six-bedroom house, and there are certainly plenty of good hiding places for these little tomatoes.
In the months after the tomatoes disappeared, others suspected that Frank Rubio had eaten the tomato—a claim he denied until the tomato was discovered.
Hopefully somebody will find out about it, a small dried tomato seed in a sealed plastic bag, and they can prove that I didn't eat tomatoes in space," Frank Rubio said half-jokingly.