Eight months after the lab-grown delectable went missing, the strange case of the noticeably absent cherry tomato has finally been resolved.

Even when a tomato is lost, no one can hear it scream in space. An odd development occurred in March when a Red Robin dwarf tomato from NASA’s Veg-05 experiment—which focuses on cultivating fruits and vegetables in space—vanished soon after it was picked. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli disclosed the discovery of this tomato, which was a component of a project to investigate the viability of ongoing fresh food production in space, livestreamed on December 6.

This cosmic gastronomic enigma was solved at the ISS’s 25th anniversary celebration. “Our good friend Frank Rubio, who headed home [on September 27], has been blamed for quite a while for eating the tomato,” declared Moghbeli, grinning broadly. However, we can clear him. The tomato was located.

In order to better understand how illumination and nutrient fluctuations affect fruit growth, safety, and nutritional value—yes, tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables—the Veg-05 project extended the scope of in-space farming to include dwarf tomatoes. This study also looks at how the crew’s taste preferences and general mental health in the special environment of space can be positively impacted by fresh food. Every astronaut received a tomato sample, preserved in a Ziploc bag, after the harvest in March. However, NASA advised the astronauts not to eat the fruit due to possible fungal infestation, as reported by Space.com.

On September 13, during an event honoring Rubio’s year-long orbit, the missing tomato became known. Rubio bemoaned the loss of his tomato share, which flew away before he could take a bite, during his extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS) as a result of a failing Russian Soyuz ship. After a record-breaking 371 days in space, astronaut Rubio pondered on the lost tomato, stating, “I spent so many hours looking for that thing.” Years from now, I’m confident the dried-out tomato will appear and prove my innocence.

After landing back on Earth in October, Rubio made some educated guesses about what happened to the tomato, speculating that it was either mistakenly thrown out or shriveled up because of the low humidity on the station.

Though it may seem strange that a tomato might disappear on the International Space Station, the lab’s many crevices and nooks offer plenty of locations for a mischievous tomato to hide. Rubio may now finally exhale in relief as the riddle has been solved, demonstrating that certain objects are still capable of engaging in an unexpected game of hide-and-seek in space.