Frog photobombs Nasa rocket launch with one giant leap for frogkind
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A leaping frog might be a sight more suited to pastoral ponds than rocket launches but from spawn to space, this ambitious amphibian ambushed a Nasa mission earlier this week.
The frog ‘photobombed’ Nasa’s launch of the LADEE spacecraft, a probe sent to explore the moon from Virginia last Friday.
From lily pad to launch pad wasn't too much of a stretch for the frog, with a “pool” at the Wallops/Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport serving a high pressure sprinkler system to prevent fires and reduce sound wave forces on the craft.
So at one point the launchpad might have been a nice place for the frog to hang out. Unfortunately after being propelled into the air, the frog probably didn’t make it.
A NASA spokesperson said: “The photo team confirms the frog is real and was captured in a single frame by one of the remote cameras used to photograph the launch. The condition of the frog, however, is uncertain.”
LADEE, stands for Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer and the mission is sending a probe to orbit the moon and send back information about the lunar surface.
The mission cost $280m (£180m) also hopes to get an insight into the odd behaviour of moondust, which appears to levitate from the surface and has mystified scientists and astronauts for decades.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments