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      Frog photobombs image of NASA LADEE rocket launch in Virginia

      Can you spot the frog? The little guy is visible within the smoke of the launch. Photo: NASA

      Talk about an explosive introduction.

      On Sept. 7, NASA launched its LADEE spacecraft from Wallops Island in Virginia, a rocket destined for the moon to study the lunar atmosphere.

      What it didn't expect was for the rocket to be joined by one hardy frog.

      In a photo of the rocket's launched, you can plainly see the outline of a frog being propelled upward by the rocket's launch.

      NASA acknowledged the frog's appearance in a post on Instagram on Thursday.

      In their post, NASA officials describe the Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge, close to where the launch facility is located, as an area mainly comprised of marsh and woodland that is home to a variety of animals.

      The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the refuge, has an agreement with NASA to cover about 3,000 acres of the marsh, taking up only a small amount of the protected area.

      NASA does not know the condition of the frog, though.