NASA Astronaut Responds to Online Panic Over “Tentacled” Object on ISS
A tentacled object seen in a viral photo from the International Space Station alarmed some viewers over the last few days.
A photo of a purple, egg-shaped object with what appear to be tentacles protruding led some users to believe it was an extraterrestrial creature hatching in space.
However, NASA astronaut Don Pettit cleared up those rumors by revealing the object was just a potato.
In a post on X, Pettit wrote, “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 a spot of hook Velcro to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium,” added Pettit.
One user on X responded to Pettit by writing, “I genuinely thought this was some kind of egg hatching.”
LOOK:
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
Per The New York Post:
An image of a tentacled growth in space has caused an uproar online with freaked-out viewers imploring astronauts to “kill it with fire.”
Viral photos showed the floating, purple egg-shaped object with tendrils exploding out of it like the poster for the 1979 sci-fi horror flick “Alien.”
Thankfully, the real item isn’t as insidious as it seems. In a viral X post, NASA astronaut Don Pettit explained that the anomaly was an “orbiting” potato, dubbed Spudnik-1, that he grew onboard the International Space Station as part of an ongoing interstellar horticulture hobby.
“This is an early purple potato, complete with spot of hook Velcro to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium,” the scientist explained.
Horticulture is not the only thing on NASA’s radar lately.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed on Tuesday that the space agency plans to spend nearly $20 billion over the next several years to build a base on the moon.
WATCH:
Today at Ignition, we’re aligning the NASA workforce, industry, our international and commercial partners, and the broader space-loving community on how we will execute @POTUS’ national space policy
Return to the Moon
Build a Moon base
Unleash the golden age of space… pic.twitter.com/CIGmks3ucx— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) March 24, 2026
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