‘Dino in space’: Floating toy spotted inside SpaceX spacecraft

Netizens noticed the floating dinosaur, which served as the crew’s zero-g indicator shortly after the spaceflight took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday.

By: Trends Desk

New Delhi | Updated: May 31, 2020 05:02 PM IST

3 min read

The floating toy was later identified as a TY Flippables Tremor Dinosaur which was picked out by the astronauts’ son’s

As millions live-streamed to watch US astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on Space X’s Crew Dragon Spacecraft make history, many noticed a third passenger onboard — a sequined dinosaur.

Shortly after the spacecraft took from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, many took to social media to talk about the floating toy, later identified as a TY Flippables Tremor Dinosaur.

Take a look here:
https://twitter.com/exotic_grape/status/1266822211677163525
https://twitter.com/DerekGarcia0/status/1266820435511042049

https://twitter.com/charredbrisket/status/1266816421134249984

https://twitter.com/panoramiccolors/status/1266817468842082307

https://twitter.com/Tom_Haisem98/status/1266831980995448836
Behnken, in an interview shortly after the launch, revealed that the dinosaur was picked by his son to be used as a Zero-G indicator.

Watch the interview here:

This is not the first time a toy was introduced in a space mission. Last year, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a picture of a stuffed toy in the shape of Earth which flew on an uncrewed test of the Crew Dragon in March 2019.

“Super high tech zero-g indicator”, he wrote, sharing the image of the toy.

For the uninitiated, Zero-G indicators or zero gravity indicators are objects used by astronauts to know when they’ve entered a state of microgravity after the engines are cut off.

The astronauts are currently heading to the International Space Station which was originally set for Wednesday, May 27. According to reports, the launch was moved due to bad weather.

NASA and SpaceX made history on Saturday when they launched the first human spaceflight through a government-private partnership. It also marks the first time astronauts are being launched from American soil since 2011.

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