Driftsonde Visuals & Multimedia Gallery
September 2006 |
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2.8 MB - Windows Media Player required. Click here or on image to view the video.
This video shows the launch of the first driftsonde, which took place on August 28 from Zinder, Niger.
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17 MB - Flash Player required. Click here or on image to view the animation.
This animation shows the launch of a driftsonde from Niger, Africa. As the balloon rises toward the lower air pressure of the stratosphere, it fills out into a circular shape. It carries its payload west from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean, driven by upper-level winds at its cruising altitude of about 65,000 feet. The gondola, controlled by scientists on the ground, then releases one of its instrument packages, called a dropsonde, into a type of storm system known as an easterly wave. The instrument package, which descends slowly with a parachute, sends measurements back to the gondola twice every second. The package has sensors to measure temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction. The gondola transmits the information to a satellite, which then relays it to scientists on the ground. For more information about the driftsondes, see the news release and fact sheet.
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| For higher-resolution versions of the animation and video, please contact David Hosansky, 303-497-8611. |
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At the airport in Zinder, Niger, technicians from the French space agency (CNES) prepare for the historic launch on August 28 of the first
driftsonde used for weather research. At left, the team inflates the
large CNES balloon. At right, technicians carry the NCAR-designed
gondola, which holds more than 30 sets of weather instruments. The
white box at bottom includes communications equipment. (Photos by Terry Hock, NCAR.) |
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This map shows the tracks of the first four driftsondes launched from Zinder, Niger (far right side) in August and September. Dots show where dropsondes were deployed. |
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This sunrise launch in Wyoming was part of driftsonde testing during
the summer of 2006. The innovative NCAR-designed driftsonde package,
which includes a gondola and weather instruments that descend by
parachute, was first used for research in Africa in August 2006 with a
ballooning system designed by the French space agency, CNES. Click here or on image to enlarge. (©UCAR, photo by Joe VanAndel.) |
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This driftsonde's balloon dwarfs the aircraft
and automobile nearby as researchers stretch out the tether lines
holding its gondola and communications devices during testing in
Oregon in 2004. Built to cruise at 65,000-70,000 feet, the first
operational driftsonde took flight at Zinder, Niger, on August
28, with more to follow. Click here or
on the image to enlarge. (Photo by Terry Hock, NCAR.) |
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| Contacts for This Release |
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For Journalists
David Hosansky, head of Media Relations
303-497-8611, hosansky@ucar.edu
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UCAR Communications
www.ucar.edu/news/contacts.shtml |
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General inquiries
Yvonne Mondragon,
303-497-8601, yvonnem@ucar.edu
Photo inquiries
Carlye Calvin, 303-497-8609, calvin@ucar.edu
Digital
Image Library
www.ucar.edu/imagelibrary |
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The contents of this page are preserved for archival purposes. Information and links may be out of date. For the latest NCAR and UCAR news, please visit www.ucar.edu
*News
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