People mind-blown after spotting unlikely photo-bomber in images of NASA rocket launch

When you think of rocket launches, your mind probably turns to massive spacecrafts and dramatic plumes of smoke.

One thing you probably wouldn't think of? A rogue frog.

And yet if you look closely at this incredible snap, you'll see an unlikely photo-bomber making an appearance:

NASA Wallops Flight Facility/Chris Perry

Yes, that's an actual frog, who seems to be soaring through the air as the rocket launches.

This incredibly moment was captured on September 6, 2013, when the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (known as LADEE) took off aboard an unmanned Minotaur rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

According to NASA, the photo team confirmed that the frog was real, 'and was captured in a single frame by one of the remote cameras used to photograph the launch'.

The amphibian was remarkably close to hitching a ride on the LADEE spacecraft, which was tasked with studying the lunar atmosphere and dust.

The photographer who captured the image, Chris Perry, told ABCNews.com after the incident: "I'm guessing it was about 150 feet away from the Minotaur rocket, give or take a few. Lots of flies out there that evening, so I'm sure our frog (or toad) had a nice feast."

NASA's Moon missions normally take off in Cape Canaveral, Florida. And it's perhaps no surprise the frog was pictured in Virginia, as the Wallops Flight Facility is next to the Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge, a 343 acre space of saltmarsh and woodlands, established in 1975.

NASA Goddard

Back in 2013, NASA said: 'The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has an agreement with NASA to use the NASA-owned portion of Wallops Island for research and management of declining wildlife in special need of protection. The agreement with NASA covers approximately 3,000 acres of Wallops Island proper and is primarily salt marsh.'

You might be thinking - how on Earth can rockets launch safely next to a wildlife refuge?

According to NASA, the space agency's facilities and roads 'take up a small percentage of the area.

'The rest of the area remains undeveloped and provides excellent habitat for wildlife. During launches, short term disturbance occurs in the immediate vicinity of the launch pads, but the disturbance is short-lived allowing space launches and a wildlife habitat to coexist.'

However, this tale doesn't have the happiest of endings - NASA said it was 'uncertain' about the fate of the frog after being snapped next to the launch.

Perry told ABCNews.com: "It was also sad to see a frog go like that. As much fire as that rocket is putting out, I have to imagine it got injured."