A surprising image was spotted in a photo taken at the launch of the Minotaur V rocket that launched the LADEE spacecraft last Friday at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
A frog, obviously startled by the launch, is seen in the air against the smoky backdrop of the launching rocket.
Wallops spokesman Jeremy Eggers has confirmed the picture is legitimate and was not altered in any way, but unfortunately, it’s unknown if the frog was harmed.
The launchpad at Wallops has a pool for the high-volume water deluge system that activates during launches to protect the pad from damage and for noise suppression. The frog was likely hanging out there before the launch.
This isn’t the first time animals have been oddly included in a launch. The SpaceX Grasshopper test launch startled a herd of cows last month and a flock of turkey vultures was in the wrong place and the wrong time during the STS-114 launch in 2005.
