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\n Published on
\n 27\/03\/2026 – 15:36 GMT+1\n <\/p>\n
NASA astronaut Don Pettit, recently shared a picture of an odd, purple, egg-shaped object with \u201ctentacles\u201d from the International Space Station (ISS) on the social media platform X. <\/p>\n
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While you could be forgiven for thinking that this was some kind of alien creature, it is in fact only a potato that Pettit grew in space. <\/p>\n
Although the colour is not commonly seen, potatoes<\/a> can be purple , mainly due to high levels of anthocyanins. <\/p>\n In a post on X, Pettit shared more about his space food-growing hobby. <\/p>\n \u201cSpudnik-1, an orbiting potato on the International Space Station. I flew potatoes on Expedition 72 for my space garden<\/a>, 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,\u201d Pettit said. <\/p>\n \u201cPotatoes are one of the most efficient plants based on edible nutrition to total plant mass (including roots). 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,” he added.<\/p>\n Pettit has captured several photos from his four space journeys since the first one in 2002, with a total of 590 days spent in orbit. <\/p>\n Some of his photos include comets<\/a> like C\/2023 A3 and C\/2024 G3, along with aurora displays from space, such as the October 2024 one. <\/p>\n The rise of food-growing in space<\/p>\n