Dropsonde
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A dropsonde is an expendable weather reconnaissance device created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, designed to be dropped from an aircraft at altitude over water to measure storm cond
Dropsonde delivery system on a NOAA P-3 Hurricane Hunter.
Dropsonde (source US Air Force)
Weather balloon
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A weather balloon, also known as a sounding balloon, is a high-altitude balloon that carries instruments into the stratosphere for measuring atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed
Dropsonde
…These data are typically sent from the aircraft to the ground in near-real time for use in weather forecasting. A driftsonde is a high altitude, durable weather balloon holding a transmitter and a bank (35 in the first models) of miniature dropsonde capsules which can then be dropped at automatic intervals or remotely…
Picture taken at approximately 30 km above Oregon using a 1,500 gram weather balloon
Rawinsonde weather balloon just after launch. Notice a parachute in the center of the string and a small instrument box at the end. After release it measures many parameters. These include temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and wind speed and wind direction. This information is transmitted back to surface observers.
A hydrogen filled balloon at Cambridge Bay Upper Air station, Nunavut, Canada