When the first Star Wars film appeared in 1977, it was a revelation: things in space could be...grimy, or smelly, or worn-out. Remember the trash compactor scene?
This was no news to actual astronauts of the time, who gamely spent weeks in orbit without showers or toilets. They played it down.
Last night it got played up a bit.
More: http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/11/mushrooms-in-sp.html