On September 7, 2013, in universal time, the lunar probe LADEE takes off from Wallops, Virginia. A camera triggered by the sound records the launch. In one of his images, a small figure stands out: a frog appears in the air.
The photographic team confirmed that it was a real animal, captured in a single image by one of the remotely installed cameras. The photograph was therefore not simply a humorous montage added after the departure of the rocket.
NASA says the fate of the frog remains unclear. Nothing in this image makes it possible to make an animal come back safe and sound, nor a passenger gone to the Moon. The document shows a surprising moment on the ground, whose fame far exceeds what we really know about its little protagonist.
What we know
Confirmed real animal; become unknown, not transient from the probe.
To go to the source
References consulted on 3 October 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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