NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a peculiar photo from the International Space Station (ISS) that sent the internet into a frenzy. The image depicted a floating, purple, egg-shaped object with tentacle-like growths, which many mistook for an alien life form. However, Pettit clarified that the object was actually a potato he was growing in his space garden, humorously dubbed “Spudnik-1.”
The photo, shared on social media, quickly went viral, with users expressing shock and amusement. Some commenters joked about the object resembling a scene from a sci-fi movie, while others urged Pettit to “kill it with fire.” Pettit explained that the potato, complete with a Velcro hook for anchoring, was part of his personal horticulture hobby during Expedition 72 on the ISS, which ran from September 2024 to April 2025.
Pettit, inspired by Andy Weir‘s book and movie The Martian, began growing potatoes in space due to their efficiency in providing nutrition relative to their total plant mass. He noted that potatoes will play a crucial role in future space exploration, as they are an efficient food source. Astronauts have been cultivating plants on the ISS for years to study growth in microgravity and supplement their diet with fresh food.
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