Last Sunday, the NASA space shuttle Discovery launched from the Kennedy Space Station with a crew of 7 people. It was sent on a 14 day mission to deliver fuel and supplies to the International Space Station. What the crew did not count on was a bat landing foam on one of the fuel tanks of the shuttle just before take-off. The rodent was last officially spotted several seconds before the launch. NASA officials admitted that the bat was probably incinerated upon take-off.
Because the Kennedy Space Station is within close proximity to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, it does not have high powered horns to scare wildlife away. As a result, this is not the first time that an animal has landed on a space shuttle. In 1998, a bat was noticed on top of a fuel tank just before take-off. However, this rodent was able to fly away as the engines ignited, saving itself from harm.
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