A strange image shared by a NASA astronaut has stirred social media, initially taken to be an ‘alien egg’, though the reality proved otherwise.
According to details, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) shared a photograph showing a purple, egg-like form from which a creature-like shape appeared to be emerging.
The astronaut later clarified that it was not an extraterrestrial organism but an ordinary potato, whose sprouting roots had assumed an unusual form due to microgravity.
On the social media platform X, the astronaut humorously named it “Spudnik 1” and said the potato had been secured with a special Velcro hook within a temporary lighting system to enable growth in space.
He said the idea for the experiment came from The Martian, which presented the concept of growing potatoes in space.
According to the astronaut, potatoes are a highly efficient crop in terms of nutrition and may play an important role in future space missions.
It is worth noting that NASA has previously conducted plant growth experiments in space, including lettuce, kale and zinnia flowers, to provide astronauts with additional nutrition.
