NASA astronaut Don Pettit stirred up excitement online after sharing a peculiar image from the International Space Station, resembling a scene straight out of a science fiction movie.
The tentacled object appeared to be ‘growing’ on the station’s surface during Expedition 72, which spanned from September 2024 to April 2025. In the photograph, the oddly shaped ‘egg’ is positioned above dark, stringy tendrils seeming to emerge from its base.
Social media users quickly reacted to the unsettling image.
“Kill it with fire!!!” one exclaimed.
Another noted, “Bro, I genuinely thought this was some kind of egg hatching.”
One user humorously commented, “Looks like a mimic hatching out of an egg,” referencing a film from 2017.
But Pettit swiftly returned the conversation to reality, clarifying that the ‘tentacles’ were not alien appendages.
Spudnik-1, an orbiting potato on @Space_Station!
I flew potatoes on Expedition 72 for my space garden, an activity I did in my off-duty time. This is an early purple potato, complete with spot of hook Velcro to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium.
Potatoes are one… pic.twitter.com/MXsoV20vJ8
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) March 20, 2026
“Spudnik–1, an orbiting potato on @Space_Station!” he jested.
He explained that the dramatic appearance resulted from a potato he had brought onboard for a small personal garden project.
“I flew potatoes on Expedition 72 for my space garden, which I tended during my off-duty hours,” he elaborated.
“This is an early purple potato, equipped with Velcro to secure it in my makeshift grow light terrarium.”
Pettit provided a compelling reason for growing potatoes, especially considering U.S. ambitions for longer space missions.
“Potatoes offer high nutritional value relative to their mass, including roots,” he noted.
“As highlighted in Andy Weir’s work, potatoes will be crucial for future space exploration.”
Another follower asked how cultivating potatoes in space compares to Earth. Pettit didn’t hold back with his response.
“The roots spread in all directions without gravity, and all plants I’ve grown in space have developed much slower than on Earth.”
The post attracted significant attention, prompting various humorous responses.
“Someone needs to figure out a zero-g fryer ASAP,” a user jokingly suggested.
Another appreciated the creativity: “Nice Velcro docking adaptor!”
NASA has been actively exploring ways to cultivate food off-planet and has previously grown a variety of plants aboard the ISS. The agency aspires to broaden its culinary options in the future, looking to include tomatoes and peppers, along with other nutrient-rich produce for extended space missions.
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