Balloon Borne GPS-Enabled Radiosondes That Enable Simultaneous Multi-Point Atmospheric Sensing With a Single Ground Station

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Engineering Physics

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physical Sciences

Year

2024

Author dc:creator

• Ribbens, Peter A

• 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

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.erau.edu/edt/829

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.erau.edu:edt-1870