On Oct 11, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this Full Moon pendant to the edge of space onboard a high-altitude cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, it floated 113,795 feet above Earth’s surface, experiencing temperatures as low as -63 °C and a near-vacuum of only 0.05% air pressure at sea level. After the balloon exploded, as planned, the payload parachuted back to Earth, landing in Death Valley National Park.
 
The pendant depicts a full Moon. It looks blue because the natural colors of the Moon have been enhanced to depict a "Mineral Moon." Blue denotes areas rich in titanium, while orange is titanium poor. The titanium-rich zones are particularly interesting because lunar titanium is bound to oxygen. The common lunar mineral ilmenite, for instance, is rich in titanium oxides. This oxygen may be easily extracted, providing future explorers a source of air to breathe and an oxidizer for rocket engines.
 
Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. Sales support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program and hands-on STEM research.
 
-2018