It's a far-out addition to any Christmas tree!

On Dec. 2, 2018, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere. This glass Alien Christmas Ornament went along for the ride. Wearing only a tie-dyed tee-shirt, the green astronaut flew alongside an array of radiation sensors 35 km (114,829 feet) above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California. After the balloon exploded, as planned, the payload parachuted back to Earth, landing near the Furnace Creek campground in Death Valley.

Each ornament comes with a greeting card showing the alien in flight and telling the story of his journey to the edge of space. Sales of this ornament support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program and hands-on STEM research.