NASA Offers Update on Lost Tomatoes: World Breathes Sigh of Relief
In a world where global pandemics and political upheaval seem to dominate the headlines, it’s a relief to finally have some news we can all get behind: NASA has offered an update on the two tomatoes lost for eight months aboard the International Space Station.
Yes, you read that right. Tomatoes. In space. And not just any tomatoes – these were the first plants grown and harvested in the Advanced Plant Habitat, a new system that allows astronauts to grow their own food while in orbit.
But here’s the twist: the tomatoes were actually lost for eight months. That’s right, they were floating around up there, presumably having the time of their lives without a care in the world.
Thankfully, NASA has finally located the wayward fruits and offered us a glimpse at their current state. The bad news? They’re dehydrated. The good news? Well, we’re not exactly sure what the good news is, but we’re sure it’s out there somewhere.
According to a statement from Gioia Massa, the science team lead for the Veggie facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the tomatoes were “rehydrated to their full size and inspected for microbiological contamination”. So, if you were worried about space tomatoes causing space diseases, you can rest easy.
But wait, it gets even better. NASA has shared some truly riveting footage of the tomatoes being rehydrated, which we’re sure will be a hit on YouTube. In the video, you can see the tomatoes floating in their little space bags, looking like a scene out of some B-list sci-fi movie.
Of course, we all know that the real star of the show here isn’t the tomatoes, but the incredible technology that makes growing plants in space possible in the first place. The Advanced Plant Habitat is a true marvel of engineering, and it’s exciting to think about all the possibilities it opens up for future space exploration.
So, let’s all raise a glass of space water to the tomatoes that were lost but not forgotten, and to the NASA scientists who finally managed to track them down. Who knows? Maybe there’s a Nobel Prize in there somewhere.
In all seriousness, though, this news is a testament to the incredible work that NASA is doing every day to push the boundaries of human knowledge and exploration. Despite all the challenges we face as a planet, it’s comforting to know that there are still people out there doing truly important work. And if that work happens to involve growing tomatoes in space, well, we can all rest a little easier at night.
