# Frog Photobombs Nasa Moon Probe Launch **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812 "2013-09-14T00:17:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/61 "2013-10-02T14:24:54Z")
If the frog was a real frog, and it was blasted into the air, if he was even alive, I don’t think he was thinking how his legs should look, so the idea that the pose isn’t frog typical doesn’t hold any water with me. How would you look if you were blown up? Like you were taking a swan dive? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/62 "2013-10-02T14:30:59Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > BTW, I’m surprised this has not been previously debunked by someone, but this is very evidently not a frog. Although frogs are often graphically portrayed with forelegs splayed out while in mid-leap, frogs actually hold the forelegs up against the body in jump and land with the rear legs forward and the forelegs used primarily for balance. The frog wasn’t jumping. It was flung by an explosion. ETA: Totally missed the 2nd page. However, there are plenty of images available that show frogs in mid-air with their legs extended forward. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/63 "2013-10-02T16:33:42Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > If the frog was a real frog, and it was blasted into the air, if he was even alive, I don’t think he was thinking how his legs should look, so the idea that the pose isn’t frog typical doesn’t hold any water with me. How would you look if you were blown up? Like you were taking a swan dive? If this were a frog in or aft of the flame duct, it would have been killed instantly by the overpressure blast wave. The normal state of repose for a frog corpse is with the forelegs tucked into the sides, as anyone who was forced to dissect a frog in high school biology is aware. The only way the legs would remain extended in flight is if the hypothetically unfortunate creature were in a sufficiently energetic flat spin such that the centrifugal forces overcome the normal retraction of the frog’s musculature. But this isn’t a frog, and has been assumed to be only because the image looks vaguely frog-like in silhouette. The reality is that this is the launch charm placed near the pad or in the flame trench, which again, is a standard tradition with many launch integration crews. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/64 "2013-10-03T09:42:50Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > If this were a frog in or aft of the flame duct, it would have been killed instantly by the overpressure blast wave. The normal state of repose for a frog corpse is with the forelegs tucked into the sides, as anyone who was forced to dissect a frog in high school biology is aware. Again, that’s not always true. My daughter’s frog was stretched out in that exact “Vitruvian Frog” pose when we found him dead in his tank. On the other hand, he evidently died from pesticide poisoning, which may have caused an abnormal pose > [@](#): > > But this isn’t a frog, and has been assumed to be only because the image looks vaguely frog-like in silhouette. The reality is that this is the launch charm placed near the pad or in the flame trench, which again, is a standard tradition with many launch integration crews. This tidbit has been the best part about this whole thread, in my opinion. Though I don’t understand why they haven’t just stated that, rather than coming out with statements like “The frog’s condition is unknown.” Do they not want to acknowledge the launch charm tradition? Or is it an underground thing that the people talking to the press just don’t know about? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/65 "2013-10-03T16:20:04Z")
Nasa believes it was a frog. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/66 "2013-10-03T16:23:42Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Nasa believes it was a frog. Yeah, but NASA believes they went to the Moon, too. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/67 "2013-10-03T16:28:47Z")
I think the frog’s name is Greenpeace. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/68 "2013-10-03T17:06:53Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Nasa believes it was a frog. Between NASA and **Stranger on a Train** … well, I’m torn. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/69 "2013-10-03T17:11:56Z")
So was the frog. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/70 "2013-10-03T18:13:14Z")
I used to work for Orbital. Worked on launch campaigns. I’m not aware of any sock puppet placed at any of the launch pads for whatever reason. But then again, I only worked at launch sites outside of the US. YMMV in the US I suppose I could call up my contacts back @ OSC and get the gritty details, but why kill a good thread? Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812/71 "2013-10-03T18:19:38Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > I suppose I could call up my contacts back @ OSC and get the gritty details, but why kill a good thread? Check out the first two words in the line below “The Straight Dope”, above. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frog-photobombs-nasa-moon-probe-launch/668812.md?page=3)