Mother's Day is coming, and that means it's time for ... roses in space. To get ready, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a crystal rose bouquet to the stratosphere. Floating on a cosmic ray balloon, it rose (no pun intended) to an altitude 102,690 feet above the Sierra Nevada of central California.
 
The students are selling space roses to fund their cosmic ray ballooning program. The roses are made of high-quality Borosilicate Crown Crystal often used in lenses and prisms. That's why they glitter so colorfully in sunlight at the edge of space.
 
The roses spent almost 2.5 hours in the stratosphere. After the balloon exploded (as planned) the payload parachuted back to Earth, landing on the west side of the rugged Inyo Mountain. The roses had a wild ride, and the students got great data for their cosmic ray monitoring program.
 
Each bouquet comes with a greeting card showing the flowers in flight and telling the story of their journey to the stratosphere and back again. They make great Valentine's, Mother's Day, and romantic birthday gifts.