Weather Balloons
Weather balloons are a special type of air craft that is designed to fly at very high altitudes. Weather balloons carry all sorts of gear aloft in order to measure the atmospheric pressure, the temperature and the humidity; all the data is then sent back to the weather center. The same weather balloons are incredibly useful in getting info about wind movements; thus, the devices can be tracked with the help of a radar or navigation systems of the GPS (Global Position System) type. For people who don't know the working mechanisms, weather balloons are pretty fascinating, and they surely make a great view to watch as they rise. But how do weather balloons operate?
Weather balloons are made of latex, since this material has high flexibility properties and it produces the lift itself. The measurements are performed by a separate unit called radiosonde; this item of equipment is attached at the lower end of a string and it enables the measurement of all sorts of parameters; this is in fact the way to determine the ozone concentration for instance. The filling of weather balloons is made either with helium or with hydrogen, though the latter is the cheaper alternative. It is the actual quantity of gas in the balloon that influences the ascent rate.
Weather balloons can sometimes reach 40 kilometers (25 miles) in the atmosphere, but they can get even higher according to the material they are made of and the gas quantity present in the envelope. There is however a limitation to how far weather balloons can get since under the influence of the diminishing pressure, they expand to such an extent that when they reach the critical point of maximum inflation, they disintegrate. Under such circumstances the measurement gear is lost. For determining weather at even higher altitudes, scientists rely on sounding rockets and satellite observation.
Weather balloons have a world-wide usage extent being launched on various weather conditions for allowing routine and special prognosis. They are also of great use to computer models for weather forecasting being involved in double launches in approximately 800 locations all over the world. This means that every twelve hours, weather balloons send fresh information. The funny part about weather balloons is that they are often mistaken for unidentified flying objects and reported by many people as such. One other application for weather balloons is that of making cluster formations.