The Real Orbiting Frogs

Don’t worry I’m not about to start a reality show. You might have seen the picture that’s been circulating of a frog being catapulted from the launchpad of LADEE, the spacecraft is making its way to the Moon now to study dust in the lunar exosphere.

This amazing image has prompted several people to suggest that perhaps he’s the real ‘orbiting frog’? I’m afraid not.

My blog/twitter name is inspired by a tragicomic 1970 NASA space program called the Orbiting Frog Otolith (OFO). The poor frog who (presumably) lost his life during the LADEE launch had it easy in compared to the OFO bullfrogs that were launched into orbit and later left there to perish whilst sitting in a comical iron-lung-esque device. You can read all about it – and the two frogs – on the OFO Wikipedia page.

I say the LADEE frog ‘presumably’ lost his life. but I suppose we’ll never really know. If he was survived then I think a reality show may be entirely justified.