Balloon-Borne Electric Field Meter Launches
Launch Videos:
- Launch Montage (Flash, 15 kb)
- Launch Montage (Windows Media Player, 11.1 mb)
- Childress (Quick Time, 1 MB)
- Childress (Real Video); Childress(lg) (Quick Time).
- Polylaunch (Real Video); Polylaunch(sm), Polylaunch(lg) (Quick Time)
The instrument train on the balloon is from the top down:
parachute and radiosonde for measuring temperature, pressure, winds, and
location; a gps tracking beacon; and an electric field meter, which is a
unique instrument for measuring the strength of the electric field in all
three dimensions.
Launch of instruments in winds blowing into the lowered,
wall cloud. The balloon train was an electric field meter, and GPS
tracking beacon.
Night time balloon launch
Night time operations with NSSL6 mobile laboratory
Preparing
the balloon-borne instrument train for launch near a wall cloud (lowered
cloud in center of photo).
The
trailer is configured as a deployable facility for atmospheric soundings.
It can also be configured as a deployable data acquisition laboratory.
Interior
view of box van that serves as a mobile inflation shelter. Electric field
meters, parachutes, etc, are hung on the wall for transport to the storm.
