Sloth Appears at Jupiter Mission Launch Site in ESA Broadcast
A sloth’s brief onscreen appearance delighted viewers who tuned in to watch the European Space Agency (ESA) launch of a mission to Jupiter on Saturday, April 15.
A two-second clip of the sloth appeared in a video report that detailed preparations for the launch of JUICE — short for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer — aboard the Ariane 5 rocket at the ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana.
Dr. Nadia Drake of Quanta Magazine, who spotted the cameo and posted about it on Twitter, said: “Aside from the actual launch, this guy is definitely the star of @ESA’s JUICE telecast.”
Replying to Drake, the ESA said: “Although we were focusing on a certain rocket and spacecraft, we tend to agree.”
The ESA also posted a screenshot of the sloth and, in photo credits below it, indicated that they had named the sloth Gérard. Credit: ESA via Storyful
Video Transcript
- On Tuesday, Ariane 5-- with JUICE on top-- was rolled out to the launch pad where today it waits, poised in anticipation for its ascent into the sky. On Tuesday, Ariane 5-- with JUICE on top-- was rolled out to the launch pad where today it waits, poised in anticipation for its ascent into the sky.
On Tuesday, Ariane 5-- with JUICE on top-- was rolled out to the launch pad where today it waits, poised in anticipation for its ascent into the sky. On Tuesday, Ariane 5-- with JUICE on top-- was rolled out to the launch pad where today it waits, poised in anticipation for its ascent into the sky.
On Tuesday, Ariane 5-- with JUICE on top-- was rolled out to the launch pad where today it waits, poised in anticipation for its ascent into the sky.
