Radiosondes are balloon borne atmospheric instruments that are a critical tool for understanding dynamics in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The low-cost radiosondes developed in the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab have been further developed to improve the system's use as a science-quality atmospheric instrument that is unique in its ability to simultaneously track multiple sondes with a single ground station. Sensors to measure temperature and pressure were added to improve measurements of the atmospheric state. A printed circuit board shield and 3D-printed shell were designed to make mass manufacturing possible. A thermistor-based temperature sensor was developed and tested in a thermal chamber to verify its accuracy, precision, and repeatability between different payloads. The payloads have been launch tested in a variety of locations and during different atmospheric events such as thunderstorms and solar eclipses. This work presents system design details, as well as performance results from a variety of launches.
","abstract_html":"<p>Radiosondes are balloon borne atmospheric instruments that are a critical tool for understanding dynamics in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The low-cost radiosondes developed in the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab have been further developed to improve the system's use as a science-quality atmospheric instrument that is unique in its ability to simultaneously track multiple sondes with a single ground station. Sensors to measure temperature and pressure were added to improve measurements of the atmospheric state. A printed circuit board shield and 3D-printed shell were designed to make mass manufacturing possible. A thermistor-based temperature sensor was developed and tested in a thermal chamber to verify its accuracy, precision, and repeatability between different payloads. The payloads have been launch tested in a variety of locations and during different atmospheric events such as thunderstorms and solar eclipses. This work presents system design details, as well as performance results from a variety of launches.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ribbens, Peter A"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Engineering Physics","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Physical Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:02Z","subjects":["High altitude balloons","atmospheric sensing","gravity waves","meteorological balloons","radiosonde","Atmospheric Sciences","Climate","Engineering Physics","Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment","Environmental Monitoring","Meteorology","Other Electrical and Computer Engineering","Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology","Systems and Communications"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/829","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ribbens, Peter A"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Physical Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Engineering Physics"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["High altitude balloons","atmospheric sensing","gravity waves","meteorological balloons","radiosonde","Atmospheric Sciences","Climate","Engineering Physics","Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment","Environmental Monitoring","Meteorology","Other Electrical and Computer Engineering","Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology","Systems and Communications"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/829"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Radiosondes are balloon borne atmospheric instruments that are a critical tool for understanding dynamics in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The low-cost radiosondes developed in the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab have been further developed to improve the system's use as a science-quality atmospheric instrument that is unique in its ability to simultaneously track multiple sondes with a single ground station. Sensors to measure temperature and pressure were added to improve measurements of the atmospheric state. A printed circuit board shield and 3D-printed shell were designed to make mass manufacturing possible. A thermistor-based temperature sensor was developed and tested in a thermal chamber to verify its accuracy, precision, and repeatability between different payloads. The payloads have been launch tested in a variety of locations and during different atmospheric events such as thunderstorms and solar eclipses. This work presents system design details, as well as performance results from a variety of launches.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Balloon Borne GPS-Enabled Radiosondes That Enable Simultaneous Multi-Point Atmospheric Sensing With a Single Ground Station"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Ribbens, Peter A"],"dc:description.abstract":["Radiosondes are balloon borne atmospheric instruments that are a critical tool for understanding dynamics in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The low-cost radiosondes developed in the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab have been further developed to improve the system's use as a science-quality atmospheric instrument that is unique in its ability to simultaneously track multiple sondes with a single ground station. Sensors to measure temperature and pressure were added to improve measurements of the atmospheric state. A printed circuit board shield and 3D-printed shell were designed to make mass manufacturing possible. A thermistor-based temperature sensor was developed and tested in a thermal chamber to verify its accuracy, precision, and repeatability between different payloads. The payloads have been launch tested in a variety of locations and during different atmospheric events such as thunderstorms and solar eclipses. This work presents system design details, as well as performance results from a variety of launches.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/829"],"dc:subject":["High altitude balloons","atmospheric sensing","gravity waves","meteorological balloons","radiosonde","Atmospheric Sciences","Climate","Engineering Physics","Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment","Environmental Monitoring","Meteorology","Other Electrical and Computer Engineering","Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology","Systems and Communications"],"dc:title":["Balloon Borne GPS-Enabled Radiosondes That Enable Simultaneous Multi-Point Atmospheric Sensing With a Single Ground Station"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Physical Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Engineering Physics"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:02Z"}