The black and silver cylinder is a remote balloon launcher (RBL). The balloon is inflated inside here. Attached to the balloon is a target (silver) and an instrument (Radiosonde, pictured below) which measures pressure, temperature and humidity as it goes up into the atmosphere. It has a spool of string so it hangs beneath the balloon which unwinds after lift-off. There is a 10m long cord which goes from the RBL and attaches to the instrument with velcro. Once the balloon has moved more than 10m away, the cord detaches. This is to try to prevent the radiosonde hitting the side of the RBL and getting damaged.
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1 comments:
The balloon moves at some speed! Do you still have to aim at the target to get the readings with these remote balloon launchers? How on earth you could hit a target so small and moving so fast I do not know!
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