Spacebat - A Tribute

A bat that was clinging to space shuttle Discoverys external fuel tank during the countdown to launch the STS-119 mission remained with the spacecraft as it cleared the tower, analysts at NASAs Kennedy Space Center concluded.

Based on images and video, a wildlife expert who provides support to the center said the small creature was a free tail bat that likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist. The animal likely perished quickly during Discoverys climb into orbit.

Because the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge coexists inside Kennedy Space Center, the launch pads have a number of measures available, including warning sirens, to deter birds and other creatures from getting too close. The launch team also uses radar to watch for birds before a shuttle liftoff.

Nevertheless, the bat stayed in place and it was seen changing positions from time to time.

Launch controllers spotted the bat after it had clawed onto the foam of the external tank as Discovery stood at Launch Pad 39A. The temperature never dropped below 60 degrees at that part of the tank, and infrared cameras showed that the bat was 70 degrees through launch.

The final inspection team that surveys the outside of the shuttle and tank for signs of ice buildup observed the small bat, hoping it would wake up and fly away before the shuttle engines ignited.

It was not the first bat to land on a shuttle during a countdown. Previously, one of the winged creatures landed on the tank during the countdown to launch shuttle Columbia on its STS-90 mission in 1998.

Sources:
Spacebat Facebook Group
Spacebat Memorial www.space-bat.com
Gizmodo

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• spacebat
• nasa
• space shuttle
• bat
• space-bat
• space bat

[iSpudnik]

@10blood Fuck you man, fuck you. Space bat stood for something! That's more than you can ever do.

[jeffstormer]

And yet it achieved so much.

[lululemon123321]

Suprisingly this music can make almost anything "sad".

[DelightfulTyrant]

;_;7



[DracoC47]

this.. so sads..

NEVAR FORGET SPACE BAT

[DiggyDoggyDog]

@10blood well then, why don't you try holding on a to a fucking SPACE SHUTTLE without the proper space equipment and see what happens to you. when you do reply to this, dip shit

[Egyptoid]

We will never know the whole truth. He was there at Launch. He did not return to Earth. Who are we to judge and say where he went? We know why he went, for the joy, but we can not honestly say where . . .

[btq28]

I didn't cry. I'm touched though. Because there's a space bat in all of us.

[kingdavid99887766554]

must.

not.

cry.

;_;

[MaxAC40]

manly tears were shed

[Gary190tube]

That was surprising moving.....

[Darkbat53t]

Long live Space Bat!!!