Tentacled growth on ISS spawns online freakout
New York Post • • science
Key Points:
- A viral image of a purple, tentacled object floating in space sparked online panic, but NASA astronaut Don Pettit clarified it was a purple potato, nicknamed "Spudnik-1," grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of his space gardening hobby.
- Pettit explained the challenges of growing potatoes in microgravity, noting that roots grow in all directions and plants grow slower than on Earth; he plans to share more photos and insights from his experiments.
- The potato cultivation aboard the ISS ties into broader efforts to sustain astronauts on long-duration missions, such as the upcoming Artemis moon mission and future Mars expeditions.
- In related space agriculture developments, Finnish startup Solar Foods is working with the European Space Agency to produce novel "space food" from urine on the ISS, aiming to reduce reliance on costly Earth-supplied provisions for long-haul space travel.
- The viral reaction included humorous and alarmed comments from viewers, some likening the potato to an alien organism, highlighting public fascination and curiosity about space farming.
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