After a 2-4 Opening Week on the road, the Houston Astros are eager to be reunited with their families, not to mention their rabid and loyal fans! They’ll also be reunited with their much-loved alien mascot, Orbit.

Orbit at last season’s Home Opener

Your browser does not support iframes.

A welcomed 7-game homestand began Monday, April 11, with the Astros out-slugging the World Champs, 8-2, in the first of a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals.

Those will be followed by a weekend set of three with the Detroit Tigers. Orbit’s hilarious antics will be on full display every game!

Orbit’s dance with security guard to Michael Jackson jam

Orbit is the Houston Astros’ green and fuzzy anthropomorphic alien mascot. And, believe it or not, he’s on his second “mission” in his current position.

He was the Astros’ mascot from 1990 through 1999, when the team’s home was the Astrodome. He gave way to a railroad conductor rabbit named Junction Jack, as the Astros moved downtown, adjacent to the 103-year-old Union Station train depot, into what was originally called Enron Field.

This proximity to the railroad station seemed to bring about the notion of a bunny conductor. Junction Jack ultimately retired to a hill country carrot ranch just west of Austin, which opened the door for Orbit’s return.

Orbit Rides an Ostrich Through Yankees Warm-Ups

Your browser does not support iframes.

Orbit Streaks on His Birthday

Your browser does not support iframes.

Fans began a 2010 Facebook uprising called “Bring Back Orbit,” hoping to urge the Astros brass to consider bringing back the popular orange-antennaed, Astro-jersey-wearing alien.

Beyonce, Eat Your Heart Out: All the Single Orbits

Re-introduced into his mascot role in November, 2012, Orbit (aka Homerunus Spectacularus from the Grand Slam Galaxy) was brought back to help kick off the Astros’ new retro colors and uniform, coinciding with the team’s switch from the National League to the AL for the 2013 season, sending the long-eared baseball bunny back into his hole.

Orbit Bird-Watches for Blue Jays

Your browser does not support iframes.

Discounting his birth as a result of some “Big Bang Theory,” the Astros’ Publicity Dept. provides the following official Orbit bio: “After the 1999 season, Houston Astros mascot, Orbit, hitched a ride on the space shuttle Discovery to visit his home back in the Grand Slam Galaxy. After founding an intergalactic school for kids and serving diligently in his community, Orbit yearned for Houston and the best fans in baseball.

Orbit wins Best Mascot by Gameops.com (1st MLB Mascot to win the award)

“Time in space sure makes the years fly. After Orbit heard the outcry from fans asking him to come back to their beloved Houston Astros, he knew it was time to return. Orbit is back and ready to lead the Houston Astros and their fans into a new era of baseball.”

Early iteration of Orbit, courtesy of AstrosDaily.

Orbit, though, wasn’t the first Astros mascot, or even the first on-field representative of Houston’s baseball team.

1960s and Beyond

The first Astros mascot wasn’t furry, and didn’t sport an oversized head, but was fairly short-lived. It was an actual human, comedian Bill Dana, who was introduced in January 1965 by Astrodome creator and team president Roy Hofheinz. Dana would appear as his comedic alter-ego, Jose Jimenez, “the honorary eighth astronaut,” in full Astros uniform, and perform comedy skits before games.

Also in the Astros’ early days of the 1960s and into the ’90s, the Astrodome had a house band: The Astronuts were a four-piece Dixieland band who delighted fans in the stands between innings with banjo, trombone, trumpet, and tuba. Also, for many years, orange-suited, helmeted “Earthmen” groundskeepers dragged the infield periodically during games.

Chester in Charge, 1970s

Following closely on the heels of Ted Giannoulas’ iconic 1974 San Diego Chicken (Padres), the Astros debuted their very first “traditional” mascot, Chester Charge in April 1977.

Chester Charge was a 45-pound costumed cartoon Texas Cavalry soldier on horseback with limited game-time activities, including a pre-game appearance, 7th-inning stretch shenanigans, and post-win base-rounding. He’d usually appear at the sound of a bugle call (and the crowd bellowing “Charge!”) as the Dome’s spectacular scoreboard lit up after an Astros homer and win.

Related: Personal Memories of the Dome & Its Possible Future

The first Chester Charge was played by Steve Ross, who was then an 18-year-old high school student. The creation of Chester Charge and the captivating scoreboard graphics were devised by Houston cartoonist Ed Henderson.

Bunnies ‘n’ Dillos ‘n’ Rainbows, Oh My! 1980s

Astrojack, a humanoid rabbit, and Astrodillo, an anthropomorphic armadillo, were mascots for the Astros in the 1980s. They wore the Astros’ iconic “rainbow” uniforms of the time, and were also the team’s first mascots to entertain in the stands (The Astronuts weren’t technically mascots).

Before games and during breaks between innings, ‘Jack and ‘Dillo would also race around the field on three-wheelers and perform skits with The Astronuts. The creator of Astrojack and Astrodillo, Logan Goodson, would go on to create Junction Jack.

1990s, Generally Speaking

General Admission (unashamedly punning on the unreserved $4 bleacher seats of the Astrodome) was a mascot in the mid-to-late 1990s. He was played by a middle-aged male and wore a traditional U.S. Cavalry uniform complete with gold stars he would apply to his uni for every Astros dinger hit in the Dome.

Also, whenever an Astro hit a homer, The General would fire a cannon from his outfield perch that would sometimes scare fans seated nearby. He was reportedly “dispatched” at the end of the 1999 season when the Astros main mascot, Orbit, had him zapped by an alien ray gun near the end of the regular season.

Orbit’s Gold Stars

Orbit, since his 2012 return, has since become quite the decorated alien, as he was named a 2014 All-Star, and that year traveled with the MLB All-Stars to Japan. He was also the first MLB mascot to win the Best Mascot Award by Gameops.com.