Citizen Power

This may or may not be the first — and last — photo of the first unofficial astronaut bat.  On Sunday, the shuttle Discovery launched into space on a two-week mission to bring supplies to the International Space Station.  Unfortunately for the suit-less and helmet-less bat, he was launched into space also.  The bat was last seen clinging to the foam on one of the external fuel tanks.   According to CNN and NASA, they noticed the bat and brought in a wildlife expert who said it appeared the poor little thing had a broken wing and possibly a wounded right shoulder.  There was no way to get him down or off the fuel tank, so the space shuttle had to launch with him on it.  Shuttle launches occur near the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so bats are not uncommon in the area.  NASA officials revealed that another would-be astronaut bat was spotted on a tank in 1998, but that one flew away as the shuttle began firing up its rockets.  This bat sadly could not fly away, so it clung on for a ride into space.   (see more about the shuttle mission below).

The shuttle mission had already been delayed 3 times due to suspected fuel leaks, so they needed to lift off when they finally did, bat or no bat.  The doomed bat has inspired tributes and much sympathy online from animal lovers and NASA watchers.  The following video is one of the most touching, set to music from the last Star Trek TV show “Enterprise”.   (Enterprise is also the name of another space shuttle).

The mission of this shuttle was even more important than the bat.  The 7 human astronauts delivered the fourth and final solar panel segment of the ISS’s solar array, and after it’s installed, it will add a full 50% more power to it.  The new array will make the ISS the 2nd most bright object in the sky now, after the moon.

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