Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!mcdchg!laidbak!obdient!vpnet!cgordon
From: cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Gordon Hlavenka)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Tomatoes from Space ?
Message-ID: <26ff7c8d-1b7.1sci.space.shuttle-1@vpnet.chi.il.us>
Date: 25 Sep 90 17:55:05 GMT
References: <61190@masscomp.ccur.com>
Lines: 20


>Many will remember that a one of the experiments in a (recent ?) space
>shuttle flight involved exposing some tomato seeds to space conditions...
>
>Here's a report from the 5th grade at the Bridge School, Lexington, Mass.
>none of them set, and NO TOMATOES !
>
>I'd be interested to know if anyone (or their kids) out there had any
>better luck.

Sorry I don't have more details, but the Chicago Tribune reported a week or
two ago that a "space tomato" won first prize at a state fair.  (Not the
Illinois fair, though.)  So _some_ of the plants did OK.

The seeds were lofted on the LDEF which was stranded for a while.  (The
XLDEF?)  After the LDEF was recovered the seeds were distributed to
scientific researchers and schools.

-----------------------------------------------------
Gordon S. Hlavenka            cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
Disclaimer:                Yeah, I said it.  So what?