Mar 31, 2026 12:00:00

What is the true identity of the 'purple, tentacle-like life form' photographed on the International Space Station?

Donald Petty , a NASA astronaut with multiple stays on the International Space Station (ISS), has caused a stir by posting a photo of a 'purple, tentacle-like life form discovered on the ISS.'

Purple Lifeform Photographed Sprouting 'Tentacles' on The ISS : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/purple-lifeform-photographed-sprouting-tentacles-on-the-iss

As an experienced astronaut, Petty participated in Expedition 72 , which ran from September 23, 2024 to April 19, 2025, spending more than six months on the ISS and participating in various missions.

Then, in March 2026, Petty posted photos of an 'object with purple, tentacle-like appendages' that he had taken during his 72nd expedition to Spain, on X, Instagram , Reddit , and other platforms.

The photo in question is below. You can see grotesque purple, tentacle-like structures emerging from an egg-shaped object. One X user commented that the photo looks like a scene from the FPS game ' PREY ' where the monster ' Mimic ' hatches from an egg, while another user commented , 'Burn it!'

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

This object is actually a potato grown in a 'space garden,' a hobby Mr. Petty pursued in his free time while on the ISS. This particular potato was originally a purple variety, and what appears to be tentacles are actually potato sprouts. The Velcro on the left side of the image is used to secure the potato and prevent it from flying away in the microgravity environment.

Another photo has been posted on Reddit showing purple potatoes and green potatoes side by side.

According to Mr. Petty, all of these potatoes were grown hydroponically. While there was no difference in the hardness of the grown potatoes, their growth was significantly slower than when they were grown on Earth, just like other plants.

Petty stated, 'Potatoes are one of the most efficient plants in terms of the ratio of edible portion to the total weight of the plant (including roots). As featured in Andy Weir 's book ' The Martian ' and the movie ' The Martian ,' potatoes will play an important role in future space exploration. So I thought it would be a good idea to get started now!'