Although poor atmospheric condition led to thepostponementof the historical gang rocket launching on Wednesday ( and still looms over therescheduled liftoffthis weekend ) , a lurking front had come to undulate the spaceman off at NASA ’s Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ) Launch Complex 39A in Florida . No , this is n’t a address toDonald Trump , but in fact a real live gator .
Speaking to Chicago’sWGN News , Frank Robb , an alligator trap agent , explained how he was call by NASA to get rid of an gator that had swan onto the launching domiciliation during preparations for the historic crew foreign mission ’s take - off .
“ He had walked in the certificate logic gate , and was walking around there , just take a stroll , ” Robb articulate . “ I think he wanted to go for a spaceflight in person – alligators in blank is something we ’re lack . ”
as luck would have it for Robb , this was no fantastic goofball following , and the alligator was round up promptly . “ I just put a rope on him , pick up him and he loaded up in the motortruck pretty slow , ” he explained .
Alligators areno strangersto the space composite in Florida . The center of attention share a border with theMerritt Island National Wildlife Refuge , which is home to more than 330 aboriginal and migrant bird mintage , 25 mammal species , 117 Pisces the Fishes , and the all - important 65 amphibian and reptile species . Drainage canalsand other water system around the KSC draw in lots of alligator further into the place site , and have beenspottedby employees swagger down the itinerary nicknamed “ Gator Walk . ”
Robb , who is also regard in a aesculapian project to drawblood from the alligatorsat KSC to help develop antiviral and antibacterial drug for humans , recalled to WGN News some of the other places he has come across the animal .
“ Over the yr , you never live what to expect from the Kennedy Space Center , ” he articulate . “ There ’s alligator that terminate up in the craziest of places , from in the VAB ( Vehicle Assembly Building ) , to under the pads , under the shuttle , under the dragon capsules , it ’s all kinds of weird stuff . ”
Back in 2009,an alligator actually haltedspace shuttle Endeavour’sSTS-127 missioncrew on their way to a dry run liftoff . The alligator ( which they later adopted as their mascot ) , strolled into the path of their astrovan as they were trip down the Saturn Causeway to Launch Pad 39A.
gator are not the only beast that have subvert scientific discipline . The Large Hadron Collider ( LHC ) at CERN in Geneva has experienced its own fair part of animal disaster grinding things to a halt , from abaguette - dropping snort , to anibbling weasel .
[ H / T : Futurism ]
