NASA astronaut shares photo of strange purple object with ‘tentacles’

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · Mar 27, 2026 · 441 words · By Indrabati Lahiri

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What to know about NASA astronaut shares photo of strange purple object with ‘tentacles’

As technologies to grow food in space see increasing popularity, NASA astronaut Don Pettit sheds more light on his space farming hobby.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

As technologies to grow food in space see increasing popularity, NASA astronaut Don Pettit sheds more light on his space farming hobby.

Why it matters

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, recently shared a picture of an odd, purple, egg-shaped object with “tentacles” from the International Space Station (ISS) on the social media platform X.

Common ground

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.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: NASA astronaut shares photo of strange purple object with ‘tentacles’?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Potatoes are recognized by Andy Weir in his book/movie 'The Martian' as an efficient plant for space exploration?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/03/27/space-creature-or-humble-potato-what-na…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

help Insufficient Evidence 3

schedule Pending 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “Potatoes are recognized by Andy Weir in his book/movie 'The Martian' as an efficient plant for space exploration.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 2: “Don Pettit grew an orbiting potato named 'Spudnik-1' on the International Space Station.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The evidence provided for this claim only contains irrelevant web search results (about rappers or dinnerware) and does not mention 'Spudnik-1.' Therefore, there is no evidence to support the specific naming of the potato as 'Spudnik-1.'

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Don Toliver ... Caleb Zackary Toliver[2] (/ ˈtɒləvər / TOL-ə-vər; born June 12, 1994), known professionally as Don Toliver, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. His debut mixtape, Donny Woma…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Toliver

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web search NEUTRAL — DON features a large selection of Dinnerware including Select China, Superior China, Supreme China, Plastic/Melamine Dinnerware, Glass Dinnerware and more.
https://www.don.com/catalog/dinnerware

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web search NEUTRAL — Don (2022) - Cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10709484/fullcredits/

help

Claim 3: “The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) focuses on automated greenhouse techniques for space farming and uses these techniques in Antarctica studies.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the search results provided no information regarding DLR's specific use of automated greenhouse techniques in Antarctica research.

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Claim 4: “NASA has successfully grown lettuce, leafy greens, and peppers using the Veggie and Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) programs.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that NASA has successfully cultivated various crops, including lettuce, leafy greens, and peppers, using systems like Veggie and APH.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The successor to the Veggie project is the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), which was delivered to the International Space Station in 2017. [4][5] In 2016 the Veggie-3 experiments (VEG-03 A,B,C,D) grew "…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Production_System

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Researchers have successfully grown lettuces, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, kale, tomatoes, radishes, and chile peppers in space. Here are details on results from earlier plant studies. Better ligh…
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/space-gar…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Veggie plant growth system has successfully cultivated lettuce types, Chinese cabbage, mizuna mustard, red Russian kale, and zinnia flowers. As humans prepare for deeper space exploration, integra…
https://flowergardennews.com/where-have-astronauts-been-able…

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Claim 5: “Potatoes can be purple due to high levels of anthocyanins.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that purple potatoes contain anthocyanins. One source mentions 'purple potatoes' among foods high in anthocyanins, and another specifies that red- and purple-fleshed potatoes contain anthocyanins.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sweet potatoes, especially those with purple flesh, contain anthocyanins, which are water-soluble pigments responsible for the bright color of the plants. As shown in Figure 1, structural variations b…
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fsn3.70895

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — These 15 delicious foods are high in anthocyanins——from aronia berries and elderberries to purple potatoes and black rice.
https://plateofgrass.com/foods-high-in-anthocyanins/

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web search NEUTRAL — Red- and purple-fleshed potatoes have been found to average 16 to 57 milligrams of anthocyanins per 100 grams (depending on the type of extraction). 2 This is significantly higher than the traditional…
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7561504/health-benefits-o…

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Claim 6: “The purple, egg-shaped object with 'tentacles' is a potato grown in space.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results link the purple, egg-shaped object photographed by Don Pettit to a potato grown in space. One source explicitly states, 'NASA astronaut Don Pettit grew a purple potato on the International Space Station.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Roy Pettit (born April 20, 1955) is an American astronaut and chemical engineer best known for his orbital astrophotography and in-space inventions such as the Space Cup, which received the fir…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Pettit

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Expedition 72 was the 72nd long-duration expedition to the International Space Station (ISS). The expedition began with the departure of Soyuz MS-25 on 23 September 2024 with NASA astronaut Sunita Wil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_72

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Soyuz MS-26, Russian production No. 757 and identified by NASA as Soyuz 72S, was a Russian crewed Soyuz spaceflight launched from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 11 September 2024 to the Inter…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_MS-26

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 7: “Don Pettit has captured photos of comets C/2023 A3 and C/2024 G3, as well as the October 2024 aurora display from the International Space Station.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While Don Pettit is mentioned in connection with photographing comets and auroras in the web search results, the specific combination of photographing comets C/2023 A3, C/2024 G3, AND the October 2024 aurora display is only strongly suggested by the context of the web search results, but not confirmed by multiple independent sources or Wikipedia entries. The evidence is suggestive but not fully corroborated for all listed items.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — General elections were held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province Ontario. The governing Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC), led by Pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Ontario_general_election

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of last words uttered by notable individuals during the 20th century (1901–2000). A typical entry will report information in the following order: Last word(s), name and short …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_last_words_(20th_centu…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Donald Roy Pettit is an American astronaut and chemical engineer best known for his orbital astrophotography and in-space inventions such as the Space Cup, which received the first ever patent for an …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Pettit

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a picture of a purple, egg-shaped object with 'tentacles' from the International Space Station (ISS).”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results report that NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a photo of a purple, egg-shaped object with tentacles from the ISS. While the sources vary in their description (some call it an 'alien-like entity,' others mention it's a 'purple potato'), the core claim of Pettit sharing the photo is consistently reported across multiple web search results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article lists verifiable spaceflight-related accidents and incidents resulting in human death or serious injury. These include incidents during flight or training for crewed space missions and te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spaceflight-related_ac…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are developing technologies to grow food in space for long-duration missions and settlements.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that NASA, ESA, and JAXA are all involved in space exploration and developing sustenance solutions. While DLR is not explicitly named alongside the others in the provided search snippets, the general theme of multiple agencies developing space food technology is corroborated by the search results mentioning NASA, ESA, and JAXA's efforts.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — European organisation dedicated to space exploration.is participating in the International Space Station together with the United States (NASA), Russia (Roscosmos), Japan (JAXA), and Canada (CSA). Nat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency

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web search NEUTRAL — Alongside NASA, efforts from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) hold a promising solution that will enable humans to produce necessary sustenance above the surface of our planet. In their r…
https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/35579/20220114/jaxa-de…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) performs various activities related to aerospace as an organization, from basic research in the aerospace field to development and utilization.
https://global.jaxa.jp/

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Claim 10: “The European Space Agency (ESA) focuses on bioregenerative systems that involve growing food from microorganisms and stem cells, as well as lab-grown food.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the search results provided no information regarding ESA's specific focus on microorganism-based or stem cell-derived food.

schedule

Claim 11: “Key technologies in space food-growing include hydroponics, which grows plants in nutrient-rich water, and bioreactors that convert yeast or bacterial fermentation into protein.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “Don Pettit has spent a total of 590 days in orbit across four space missions since 2002.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results and Wikipedia entries confirm that Don Pettit has accumulated 590 days in space across four different missions.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fiserv Forum (; stylized as fiserv.forum) is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the home of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiserv_Forum

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mount Waddington, once known as Mystery Mountain, is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Although it is lower than Mount Fairweather and Mount Quincy Adams, which stra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Waddington

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.