衝上雲霄：青蛙隨NASA火箭發射升空大綱
A frog has photobombed NASA's latest spacecraft launch - and could have croaked in the process.
一隻青蛙意外出現在美國航空航天局最新發射火箭的照片中——也許它在被炸飛的時候還咕咕叫了幾聲。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日在弗吉尼亞瓦勒普斯羣島飛行基地發射LADEE宇航器，遠程攝像機拍下了這隻雄心壯志的兩棲動物隨火箭昇天的景象。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.
火箭發射臺附近設有爲高壓噴射系統供水的水池，以防火箭發射後起火，並能起到減噪效果。水池爲青蛙提供了陰溼涼爽的環境，這只不幸的青蛙很可能在火箭發射時就待在池邊閒逛。
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發言人向《今日美國》證實，一臺攝像機的確記錄下發射過程中青蛙被氣流衝上天的景象。'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.'
“攝像組證實，一臺用於記錄火箭發射的遠程攝像機確實拍到一張照片，片中是青蛙確信無疑。”發言人還說：“但目前青蛙狀況尚不明確。”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.
這項航天任務耗資2.8億美元，旨在深度觀測月球表塵。這層表塵看上去輕輕漂浮在月球地表上方，很長時間以來一直讓科學家感到困惑不解。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.
而這隻現已成名的青蛙並不是第一隻“意外參與”火箭發射的動物。在STS-114發射時，一隻土耳其禿鷲撞上了火箭橘紅色燃料箱並受到致命一擊，直接從幾百米高空墜亡。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，一隻蝙蝠也被人們稱爲“太空蝙蝠”名聲大起。STS-119發現號宇航飛機發射時，一隻折斷翅膀的蝙蝠正掛在火箭機身外部休息，隨後這隻毫無惡意的蝙蝠死於非命。
