Frog Photobomb: NASA Photo Captures Frog at Space Rocket Launch (VIDEO)
A frog has photobombed NASA's launch of its new Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft, which was headed for the moon. The photo shows a frog high in the air with its legs and arms out wide as the rocket behind is starting to launch.
The NASA spacecraft launched at Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island in Virginia, but the huge force of the blast also sent a frog flying high into the air.
NASA's photo shows the creature high up in the air next to the spacecraft and has gone viral on the Internet.
The silhouette of the frog can be seen against the flames and smoke.
NASA has confirmed that the image is real. The description of the photo reads: "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 note added, "The condition of the frog, however, is uncertain."
The LADEE will investigate the lunar dust and the moon's atmosphere in a month-long journey.
The spacecraft is the first to launch from NASA's Virginia facility, which neighbors the Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge.
This is not the first time a creature has been photographed at a spacecraft launch. A bat was also photographed sticking to the tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009 and quickly became known as the "Space Bat."
At the time, NASA said, "Based on images and video, a wildlife expert who provides support to the center said the small creature was a free tail bat that likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist. The animal likely perished quickly during Discovery's climb into orbit."
NASA's LADEE mission is worth $280 million.
