冲上云霄：青蛙随NASA火箭发射升空

A frog has photobombed NASA's latest spacecraft launch - and could have croaked in the process.

一只青蛙意外出现在美国航空航天局最新发射火箭的照片中——也许它在被炸飞的时候还咕咕叫了几声。

The silhouette of the ambitious amphibian was captured as the space agency launched its LADEE spacecraft at Wallops Islands Flight Facility in Virginia on September 6.

宇航局9月6日在弗吉尼亚瓦勒普斯群岛飞行基地发射LADEE宇航器，远程摄像机拍下了这只雄心壮志的两栖动物随火箭升天的景象。

The frog was likely hanging out at a pool near to the launchpad which stores water for a high pressure sprinkler system to prevent fires after launches and to suppress noise. The pool would have provided a damp cool place for the now-frazzled frog.

火箭发射台附近设有为高压喷射系统供水的水池，以防火箭发射后起火，并能起到减噪效果。水池为青蛙提供了阴湿凉爽的环境，这只不幸的青蛙很可能在火箭发射时就待在池边闲逛。

A NASA spokesperson confirmed to Universe Today that the frog was caught by one of its cameras as it was propelled through the air.

NASA发言人向《今日美国》证实，一台摄像机的确记录下发射过程中青蛙被气流冲上天的景象。

'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 spokesperson added: 'The condition of the frog, however, is uncertain.'

“摄像组证实，一台用于记录火箭发射的远程摄像机确实拍到一张照片，片中是青蛙确信无疑。”发言人还说：“但目前青蛙状况尚不明确。”

The mission cost $280m and hopes to get an insight into moondust, which appears to levitate from the moon's surface and has long mystified scientists.

这项航天任务耗资2.8亿美元，旨在深度观测月球表尘。这层表尘看上去轻轻漂浮在月球地表上方，很长时间以来一直让科学家感到困惑不解。

The now-famous frog is not the first animal to feature in a rocket launch. During the STS-114 launch, a turkey vulture fatally flew into the shuttle’s orange fuel tank, leaving it to fall hundreds of feet to its death.

而这只现已成名的青蛙并不是第一只“意外参与”火箭发射的动物。在STS-114发射时，一只土耳其秃鹫撞上了火箭橘红色燃料箱并受到致命一击，直接从几百米高空坠亡。

And in 2009, a bat who became known as 'Space Bat' was clinging onto the outside tank during the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-119, to rest a broken wing when the shuttle was launched, killing the unsuspecting animal.

2009年，一只蝙蝠也被人们称为“太空蝙蝠”名声大起。STS-119发现号宇航飞机发射时，一只折断翅膀的蝙蝠正挂在火箭机身外部休息，随后这只毫无恶意的蝙蝠死于非命。