---
title: "NASA Proudly Shows Off Desiccated Tomatos Lost in Space Station Crevice"
description: "Squashed and Desiccated Astronauts on board the International Space Station have made a startling discovery: the husks of two old and dried-out tomatoes. While the finding may sound more like the undesirable outcome of a deep kitchen cleaning, the two rogue tomatoes were the subject of a fierce debate among crew members, with NASA astronaut […]"
date: "2023-12-18"
modified: "2023-12-18"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-shows-off-desiccated-tomatos-space-station"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "hydroponics"
  - "international space station"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Proudly Shows Off Desiccated Tomatos Lost in Space Station Crevice

![Astronauts on board the International Space Station have made a startling discovery: the husks of two old and dried-out tomatoes.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/nasa-shows-off-desiccated-tomatos-space-station.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Tomat... Oh

Astronauts on board the International Space Station made a startling discovery: the husks of two old and dried-out tomatoes.

While the finding may sound more like the undesirable outcome of a deep kitchen cleaning, the two rogue tomatoes were the [subject of a fierce debate](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-station-tomato-theft>) among crew members, with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio initially being accused of eating his share of the space-grown harvest prematurely.

Now, NASA is [ready to show off](<https://youtu.be/gA4kjdf8S6o>) the smoking gun: an image of two, squashed and discolored, grape-sized tomatoes sealed inside an evidence bag.

In short, it's the riveting conclusion to a low-stakes, space-based whodunnit — and we're here for it.

https://youtu.be/gA4kjdf8S6o

## Ketching Up

The tomatoes were part of the eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS) experiment, which involved growing plants hydroponically and aeroponically, meaning without any soil or other growth media.

Rubio, who spent a record-breaking 371 days aboard the station starting September 2022, somehow misplaced a portion of his share of the harvested tomatoes, triggering a station-wide hunt.

In a [recently shared video](<https://youtu.be/gA4kjdf8S6o>) on the "Case of the Missing Space Tomatoes," shared by NASA's Johnson Space Center, the astronaut recalled what had happened.

"We have, uh, one ripe tomato that just came loose," Rubio told ground control in the footage.

"I was pretty confident that I velcroed it where I was supposed to velcro it and then I came back and it was gone," he later recalled in an interview.

"I spent so many hours looking for that thing," he added. "I'm sure the desiccated tomato will show up at some point and vindicate me, years in the future."

Given the latest evidence, that's exactly what seems to have happened.

"Our good friend Frank Rubio, who headed home \[already\], has been blamed for quite a while for eating the tomato," NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli [said](<https://www.space.com/international-space-station-lost-tomato-frank-rubio-found>) during a live stream [celebrating the station's 25th anniversary](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-station-anniversary-death>) earlier this month.

"But we can exonerate him," she added. "We found the tomato."

**More on the tomato:** *[Space Station Astronauts Find Desiccated Tomato After Blaming Colleague for Its Theft](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-station-tomato-theft>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)