(Image: NASA/Wallops/Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport)
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a frog. This unfortunate amphibian met a dry, crispy end when it had a front row seat to NASA's LADEE launch last week.
The image (click on it to enlarge it) was captured by a remote camera at NASA's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallop's Island, off the coast of Virginia. LADEE was launched into space aboard a Minotaur V rocket on its maiden voyage. The frog – also on its maiden voyage – was swept up by the ferocious roar of blast off and soared into the sky silhouetted by the fiery glow of the Minotaur V.
The would-be astronaut was probably cooling off by a pool nearby. The pool provides water for the deluge system that protects the launch pad from damage during take off and suppresses noise from the roaring rockets. The damp area probably provided a (mostly) ideal hangout for this ill-fated amphibian.
LADEE will travel much further than the frog managed: it is set to explore the atmosphere of the moon. It will take the spacecraft two and a half months to reach its target before orbiting it for 100 days.
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