Lost tomato found aboard International Space Station after eight months

Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Members of an International Space Station crew said astronaut Frank Rubio has now been cleared of allegations he ate one of the first tomatos harvested in space.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli said during a live streamed event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the station that the remains of the tiny tomato had been found eight months after being misplaced by Rubio.

"Our good friend Frank Rubio, who headed home [already], has been blamed for quite a while for eating the tomato. But we can exonerate him. We found the tomato," Moghbeli said.

Rubio, who returned to Earth in September, had been the target of joking accusations for months that he had eaten the space-grown fruit.

"I spent so many hours looking for that thing," Rubio said during a September ISS live stream. "I'm sure the desiccated tomato will show up at some point and vindicate me, years in the future."

The astronauts did not reveal where the tomato was found or what its condition was, but Rubio had earlier predicted it would be in a state of advanced decay due to the humidity aboard the station.