Dylan and Oscar Rees, 12 and 9, strapped their cuddly toy into a polystyrene box which they tied to a balloon.

The bear joins a list of other out-of-this-world visitors including a tandoori lamb chop, a pint of beer and an iPhone.

The boys' experiment was part of a six-month science project they enjoyed with their dad Oliver, 43.

They used a helium-filled balloon attached to a camera and an old mobile phone to provide GPS coordinates for tracking.

Dylan and Oscar wrapped the equipment in budget heat packs bought from Poundland to ensure the mechanism did not freeze in the atmosphere.

The 1kg craft was launched from a field in Bromsgrove, West Mids.

Dylan said: "It was amazing watching it fly into the sky but we were so nervous - I thought we'd never see it again.

"It took ages for the GPS to pick up where it was.

"We were thinking about it all day but didn't hear anything so I was really worried.

"When the phone started pinging it was incredible - we were so excited!"

It took the teddy bear – bought by 12-year-old Dylan on a school trip to the National Space Centre – 1h 20m to float up to 80,000ft or twice the average cruising altitude of aeroplanes.

Having made the stratosphere, the balloon burst and the cuddly cosmonaut's capsule glided back to Earth thanks to a handmade nylon parachute.

The brothers and their dad collected the teddy bear two days after launch from a farmer's field 62 miles away in Northamptonshire.

Dylan and Oscar had finished building the contraption in December but had to wait until June for the right weather conditions.

Oscar, 9, said: "I was really worried we'd never see it again because we didn't hear anything all day.

"We'd just sat down to have tea and were about to watch Doctor Who when the phone started beeping and we just started jumping up and down."

Mum Sarah, 49, said: "The moment we got the texts was unbelievable - the boys got up, left the dinner table and were dancing around the room.

"It was total jubilation."

Oliver, a 43-year-old teacher, said: "I've always dreamed of sending something to space so I've loved working on this project, it makes me excited.

It's been amazing to work on it with Dylan and Oscar - we're all really proud.

"You don't know exactly where the package is going to end up at all so I couldn't be happier at the end result - to get the teddy in one piece with all the film footage intact is just amazing."