One of those photos included a frog, no doubt surprised to be airborne, backlit by the rocket's glare.

"It's a real photo and a real frog," said Jason Townsend, NASA's deputy social media manager.

Thanks to the Internet, the photo quickly went viral, giving the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft more exposure than it might have attracted otherwise.

"It was an absolutely incredible moment to see something like that go viral," Townsend said Friday by phone from Washington. "It was one of those outtake moments - a great way to continue to share about the launch."

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