Aerostat for studying the horizontal component of atmospheric movements

摘要

In order to measure the horizontal wind, in particular in order to study the structure of this wind over rocket launch sites, an aerostat is proposed, comprising a closed cylindrical balloon (10) of vertical axis, with high circumferential tension, and a cradle (gondola, pod) (12) suspended from this balloon and carrying a transmitter. The speed of rise of the aerostat is limited by a propellor (30) and the balloon (10) has longitudinal asperities (22), as well as a collar (28) located on the upper dome (16), close to the cylindrical part of the balloon. These characteristics accelerate the response of the balloon to changes in the horizontal wind and reduce the pendulum effect, which improves the precision of the measurements. IMAGE