Notes & Theories science blog

Bat hitches ride on space shuttle

The plucky creature clung to the shuttle's main fuel tank as it blasted off to the International Space Station on Sunday
Bat clinging to fuel tank aboard space shuttle Discovery.
Bat caught by cameras clinging to the main fuel tank of the space shuttle moments before take off. Photograph: Nasa

Without getting into the spectrum of consciousness that different species might or might not exhibit, I can't help wondering what this animal was thinking.

I suspect it thought it was clinging onto a rockface or a rather cold tree. When you're that close, the shuttle's main fuel tank is rough and craggy, so you can see how the mistake might have happened.

The pictures were taken by Nasa staff as the poor thing hung on while the countdown reached zero, the main engine roared into life, and space shuttle Discovery lifted-off into orbit. Apart from shuffling around a bit, the fair tail bat stayed put. At least for a while.

Space shuttle Endeavour launches with bat clinging to fuel tank (red circle) Discovery launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a bat clinging to its main fuel tank (location indicated by red circle). Photograph: Nasa

Nasa launch controllers used an infra-red camera to confirm the bat was still alive and hadn't frozen onto the shuttle's insulation before take-off. A wildlife expert concluded the creature had a number of injuries, including a damaged wing. It is thought to have perished shortly after the main engine ignited.
Launch Director Mike Leinbach said:

We're characterising him as unexpected debris and he's probably still unexpected debris somewhere.

Nasa's Final Inspection Team, known as ICE, assessed whether the creature posed a risk to the shuttle's heat shield, but decided it was safe to fly with the extra passenger. A Nasa memo said: "The bat eventually became Interim Problem Report 119V-0080 after the ICE team finished their walkdown," adding "Ultimately a Launch Commit Criteria waiver to ICE-01 was written to accept the stowaway."

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