A small frog was caught on camera as NASA's Ladee rocket was launched to the moon.
According to ABCNews, the reptile came from the marshy wetlands located around the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Chris Perry, a member of the facility's optical systems group, told ABC News his team was pleasantly surprised by what they saw in the sky.
"We got back to the office after the launch at 12:30 a.m. and we're all pretty amused and amazed," Perry said. "It was also sad to see a frog go like that. As much fire as that rocket is putting out, I have to imagine it got injured."
Perry put up three cameras to cover the launch, and said the force of the rocket's engine sent his tripod 150 feet away. The frog was caught in one of the photos taken on a camera that can shoot six photos a second ABC News reported.
In the photo, the frog is seen in the photo with extended arms and legs surrounded by debris from the wetlands as it is sent into the air from the energy of the rocket's engines.
"There's debris in the other photos, but no frogs. He was probably moving pretty quickly," Perry said. "I'm guessing it was about 150 feet away from the Minotaur rocket, give or take a few.
"(There were) lots of flies out there that evening, so I'm sure our frog (or toad) had a nice feast," he said.
Keith Koehler, NASA public affairs specialist at Wallops told ABC News hundreds of frogs live in the wetlands around the launch pad, and the administration does its best to protect the wildlife in the area.
"We've never seen this at Wallops before. I've been here 30 years," Koehler said.
The rocket, also known as the NASA Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, is on a 100 mission around the moon to obtain measurements, and investigate the moon's atmosphere. Findings will be relayed back to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The rocket is carrying the NASA Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) for a 100-day mission circling the moon. The purpose of the mission is to gather measurements and explore the moon's atmosphere, sending information back to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The frog in the photo has been found, but NASA employees hope it survived its ordeal.
