Odd ‘tentacled’ shape on ISS alarms viewers

A startling image from the International Space Station that appeared to show a purple, tentacled mass drifting in microgravity went quickly viral online. It was later identified by the astronaut who posted it as an ordinary potato grown in orbit. The eerie shape was a tuber nicknamed “Spudnik-1” cultivated during off-duty hours on Expedition 72, according to the New York Post.

The astronaut, Don Pettit, shared that it was “an early purple potato, complete with spot of hook Velcro to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium,” and said he flew potatoes as part of a personal space garden project, adding that he would share more images later.

Pettit said the crop emerged far more slowly than it would on Earth and explained that in microgravity the plant’s roots spread in all directions, a growth pattern he has observed with other space-grown plants, according to the Daily Star. He described the potato as harmless despite its alarming appearance and emphasized that it was part of a hands-on effort to understand what it takes to raise edible plants during long-duration missions. He also tied the experiment to well-known depictions of survival in space, noting, “Recognised by Andy Weir in his book/movie ‘The Martian’, potatoes will have a place in future exploration of space. So I thought it good to get started now!”.

While the potato’s tentacled look sparked calls to “bring back quarantines,” the post ultimately fed public curiosity about how agriculture might function during long voyages and on future outposts away from Earth, a question at the heart of efforts to support astronauts far from resupply. Among the practical points Pettit raised was how the absence of gravity affects growth direction and speed, which sets constraints for designing small, efficient growing systems that can be tended in astronauts’ limited downtime.