What People Thought They Saw
A photo from the International Space Station sent some viewers into full science-fiction mode. The image showed a purple, egg-shaped object with tendril-like bits sticking out, which was enough for the internet to do what it does best, panic first and look later. Some users jumped to alien conclusions and treated a simple photo like proof that the universe had finally called customer service. In reality, the blur of speculation came from a very ordinary place: a strange-looking object in a floating lab, where even a potato can look like a movie monster if the angle is right.
Pettit Says It Was A Potato
NASA astronaut Don Pettit stepped in and explained that the mystery object was an early purple potato he flew on Expedition 72 for his space garden. He said it had a small hook Velcro spot to keep it anchored in an improvised grow-light terrarium, which is about as far from alien eggs as a thing can get. Pettit even gave it a playful name, Spudnik-1, because space agencies and dad jokes appear to be held together by the same materials. https://twitter.com/MarcusNoirelius/status/2035220573970997396
https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit/status/2035090957570281813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/NASAAdmin/status/2036434084017181161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Moon Plans Get The Bigger Budget
The potato drama did not stop NASA from looking past low Earth orbit. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency plans to spend nearly $20 billion over the next several years to build a base on the moon and return humans there under the current space policy push. The agency says it wants to line up its workforce, contractors, international partners, and commercial partners for the job, which is a neat way of saying the paperwork is already on the launch pad. If all goes well, the moon base will be the next great test of American engineering, budget control, and the ancient human habit of making simple things expensive.
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