If the NWS radiosonde is not seriously damaged (styrofoam packaging is not broken apart) and was not found floating in water, it can be sent back to the NWS where it will likely be refurbished and flown again, saving the NWS the cost of a new instrument. If the radiosonde is damaged, please discard it in the trash. Follow these instructions for mailing the radiosonde to the NWS:
(1) Cut and discard the string to the burst balloon and orange parachute. IMPORTANT: On rare occasions the balloon may be found partially inflated with gas. The gas inside the balloon may be flammable hydrogen. If the balloon is inflated, stay away from it and contact your local fire department for safe disposal.... La suite sur le lien:
http://www.weather.gov/ops2/ua/radiosonde/
What is a radiosonde?
Since the late 1930s, upper air observations have been made by the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) with radiosondes. The radiosonde is a small, expendable instrument package that is suspended 25 meters (about 80 feet) or more below a large balloon inflated with hydrogen or helium gas. As the radiosonde rises at about 300 meters/minute (about 1,000 feet/minute), sensors on the radiosonde measure profiles of pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. These sensors are linked to a battery powered, 300 milliwatt or less radio transmitter that sends the sensor measurements to a sensitive ground tracking antenna on a radio frequency typically ranging from 1675 to 1685 MHz. By tracking the position of the radiosonde in flight using GPS or a radio direction finding antenna, data on wind speed and direction aloft are also obtained (observations where winds aloft are also obtained from radiosondes are called "rawinsonde" observations).... Lire la suite :
http://www.ua.nws.noaa.gov/factsheet.htm
It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane!
… No! It’s a NOAA Weather Balloon!
NOAA weather balloon launch.
NOAA weather balloon launch.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
Everyday, NOAA’s National Weather Service launches weather balloons from 102 sites throughout the United States, the Caribbean and the Pacific to help with weather forecasting.
But as the saying goes, what goes up must come down, eventually.
There’s No Need to Fear… NOAA is Here
If you happen to stumble upon a large, deflated balloon tethered to a plain white box with the words “Harmless Weather Instrument,” don’t be alarmed. This device is actually an important piece of weather equipment called a radiosonde – a battery-powered instrument that is suspended below the hydrogen- or helium-filled weather balloon...
Lire la suite ici:
… No! It’s a NOAA Weather Balloon!
NOAA weather balloon launch.
NOAA weather balloon launch.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
Everyday, NOAA’s National Weather Service launches weather balloons from 102 sites throughout the United States, the Caribbean and the Pacific to help with weather forecasting.
But as the saying goes, what goes up must come down, eventually.
There’s No Need to Fear… NOAA is Here
If you happen to stumble upon a large, deflated balloon tethered to a plain white box with the words “Harmless Weather Instrument,” don’t be alarmed. This device is actually an important piece of weather equipment called a radiosonde – a battery-powered instrument that is suspended below the hydrogen- or helium-filled weather balloon...
Lire la suite ici:
73 de Alain F6AGV
