Toy dinosaur that joined astronauts on SpaceX flight extinct at most stores - CNET

The dinosaur began to float once the space capsule reached zero gravity.

Video screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

A sparkly, glittery toy dinosaur flew along with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on the SpaceX Crew Dragon's trip to the International Space Station this weekend. But if you were hoping to add the dino to your home toy box, you may be out of luck. The cute little guy is all but extinct at online stores.

The dinosaur was seen on the broadcast of Saturday's launch, floating past Behnken and Hurley. The plush toy was dubbed a zero-gravity indicator, because once it begins to float, the astronauts, who are of course buckled down, know that they're experiencing weightlessness. A plush toy of Earth was used in a similar way for an uncrewed SpaceX flight in 2019.

"We did end up with one stowaway on board our vehicle when we launched today. It was not just Doug and I who accomplished the launch here," Behnken said after blastoff, according to Space.com. "We do have an Apatosaurus aboard." 

And the Apatosaurus has a name: Tremor. It belongs to one of the astronauts' sons. Behnken has a 6-year-old son, Theo, and Hurley has a 10-year-old son, Jack.

"We collected up all the dinosaurs between our two houses and 'Tremor,' the Apatosaurus, got the vote from the boys to make the trip into space today with us," Behnken said.

According to a tweet from science writer and geologist Mika McKinnon, the dinosaur is a six-inch long plushy from toymaker Ty, creator of Beanie Babies, with reversible blue/pink sequins.

Note:
I’m pretty sure that’s the TY Flippables Tremor Dinosaur, 6” tall with blue/pink reversible sequins.

If so, it’s a retired plushie that is no longer manufactured, so you can only acquire it on the resale market. pic.twitter.com/k51gJfHbP2

— Mika McKinnon (@mikamckinnon) May 27, 2020

The dinosaur was briefly sold in the SpaceX online store, Barron's reports, but is no longer available there. SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about whether it would be restocked. And as of Wednesday, Tremor was listed as out of stock at various online stores, including Joann Fabrics, Michael's and Amazon.

The dinosaur's appearance was brief, but it was enough to earn it some Earthling fans. "My favorite part about this launch is that a glittery dinosaur has gone to space before almost all of us," wrote one Twitter user. 

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