Anonymous ID: fa3461 March 26, 2026, 5:58 a.m. No.24429232   ๐Ÿ—„๏ธ.is ๐Ÿ”—kun

Alien Potato๐Ÿ‘ฝ๐Ÿฅ”: NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a of a purple, egg-shaped object with tentacle-like extensions floating aboard the International Space Station.

 

The image quickly sparked online alarm, with viewers joking it looked like an alien egg and commenting โ€œkill it with fire.โ€

 

Pettit identified the object as an early purple potato he grew in his off-duty time as part of a personal space gardening project on Expedition 72.

 

He attached a hook Velcro spot to anchor it in an improvised grow light terrarium. In microgravity, the potato roots grew outward in all directions rather than downward, creating the unusual appearance, and plants develop more slowly than on Earth.

 

Pettit noted potatoes offer an efficient ratio of edible nutrition to total plant mass, including roots, which supports research into space agriculture for future missions such as Artemis and Mars expeditions. He plans to share additional photos of the project.

 

https://x.com/dotconnectinga/status/2037150577319125137?s=61