Why A Shiny Dinosaur Went To Space With Astronauts On SpaceX's Historic Launch
Thursday, June 4, 2020 IST
The dinosaur toy was spotted with astronauts in a video that has gone viral on Twitter with over a million views.
On May 31, Saturday, Elon Musk's SpaceX became the first commercial company to launch a rocket carrying humans into orbit. Veteran NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken entered the International Space Station on Sunday after a landmark 19-hour journey on SpaceX's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. During their journey, they were accompanied by a third crew member that lit up the Internet - a shiny, stuffed dinosaur plush toy.
The toy was spotted floating around the capsule in a video that has gone viral on Twitter with over a million views, leading to some questions about it was flown to space. "Two humans (and one dinosaur) went to space today #SpaceX," wrote Twitter user Brian Bosche while sharing the clip.
The video has collected over a million views and more than 4,000 'likes' since being posted a day ago. Many in the comments section speculated about the presence of the glittery dinosaur on a historic space flight - but it actually served an important purpose.
According to The Verge, the dinosaur toy acted as 'zero-g indicator'. Such toys have been flown with astronauts for years. When they start floating, it indicates that crew members have reached zero gravity.
The reason a dinosaur toy was chosen to accompany the astronauts is also special. Both astronauts Behnken and Hurley have a son each, and both the boys are dinosaur enthusiasts. Before the launch, they put all their dino toys together and a sparkly apatosaurus was selected to accompany their fathers into space. "That was a super cool thing for us to get a chance to do for both of our sons who I hope are super excited to see their toys floating around with us on board," Mr Behnken said.
This dinosaur toy instantly became a viral hit.
SpaceX even put the plush toy on its online store briefly, but it has since been removed or sold out, according to Barron's.
In 2019, an Earth-shaped plush toy was placed on a test flight of Crew Dragon, with Ms Musk calling it a "super high tech zero-g indicator"
.Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley entered the International Space Station on Sunday. They were greeted by fellow US astronaut Chris Cassidy, as well as cosmonauts Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, all in the blue jumpsuits of the space station, which was launched in 1998 and first inhabited in 2000.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
The astronomers made this surprising discovery by using a new instrument situated high in the Chilean desert - the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALM...
Recently posted . 636 views . 1 min read
The Thirsty Explorer heads to the Scottish island of Islay where he learns the important differences between malt and whisky – and how to order it in a bar.
Recently posted . 889 views . 1 min read
They are fuelled mainly due to deforestation, experts say
Recently posted . 659 views . 0 min read
On Feb. 14, 1990, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft captured one of the most iconic photographs of the space age; to commemorate the moment's 30th anniversary, NA...
Recently posted . 860 views . 2 min read
Have You Ever Wondered...
-- What causes wrinkles in clothes?
-- What are fabrics made of?
...
Recently posted . 608 views . 2 min read
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 191K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 8K views . 2 min read
In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...
Recently posted . 3K views . 4 min read
Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...
Recently posted . 3K views . 2 min read
More in Global
BEIJING: Pakistani businessmen whose wives and children are trapped in China's restive Xinjiang are travelling to Beijing to lobby their emba...
Recently posted. 508 views . 1 min read
It wasn't without any reason that India was called 'sone ki chidiya' in ancient times. It was the wealthiest nation in 17th cent...
Recently posted. 562 views . 1 min read
US President-elect Donald Trump let go a Twitter broadside at China on Sunday, blaming the Asian goliath for currency manipulation and military expansionism in the ...
Recently posted. 674 views . 22 min read
Recently posted . 553 views
Recently posted . 837 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views . 49 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 67 min read
The move sparked debate online
Recently posted. 733 views . 0 min read
Qatar has moved closer to granting permanent residency to foreigners after its senior legislative body approved a draft law, first announced in the wake of the on...
Recently posted. 593 views . 1 min read