Drones Offer Alternative to Balloons For Weather Research (theguardian.com)
- Reference: 0184795166
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/07/31/239224/drones-offer-alternative-to-balloons-for-weather-research
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jul/31/weatherwatch-drone-base-station-offers-alternative-weather-balloons
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jul/31/weatherwatch-drone-base-station-offers-alternative-weather-balloons
[2] https://www.meteomatics.com/en/meteobase/
They'd serve different purposes. (Score:3)
A balloon is not static, it moves with the atmospheric system it is in. Ergo, it tells you how that system evolves. A drone cannot do this.
A drone can stay put, relative to the ground, telling you how a location's atmosphere evolves. A balloon cannot do this.
These are solving completely different types of problem.
You could, of course, construct a hybrid, as balloons are traditionally single-shot. If a balloon carries the measurement gear and a drone capable of carrying that same gear PLUS a deflated balloon, then you can have something that operates as a balloon until it reaches some pre-set location, whereupon the balloon's gas is released and the drone flies the ensemble to a collection point.
USA is jumping the shark wrt weather balloons (Score:4, Interesting)
It seems that the USA is [1]dropping the ball [theglobeandmail.com] on weather balloon monitoring.
[1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/1f56a6fa6df1c99805e9cf90cc849db6831fef1f921fc93d89b67bcf743767dc/SLN5WSOKKNGW7ITP36YCEFBTSI/
Augment, not replace (Score:2)
I doubt that drones can reach the altitudes that helium balloons can. OTOH, balloons are a one time shot; drones come back home for a charge and reuse. TCO and ROI must be a lot better.
On a side note, I live near the beach. Everyday I see small planes dragging a banner. I've been waiting for years to see a banner with just a drone at each corner, flying by itself with no plane.
Re: (Score:3)
Correct. Propeller based systems have a record of 12km. Most drones and other propeller based vertical lift craft have a limit closer to around 6km. Weather balloons can go as high as 30km.
Re: (Score:3)
This drone flew at altitude of 20km back in the late 80s. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
That NASA sun-powered drone, Helios, beat the one above by a km or two and flew for weeks, IIRC.
[2]https://www.nasa.gov/wp-conten... [nasa.gov]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Condor
[2] https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/120318main_FS-068-DFRC.pdf
Re: Augment, not replace (Score:1)
I present to you the NASA Mars Helicopter. They can fly at whatever altitude they are designed to fly at.
Re: Augment, not replace (Score:1)
BTW the Mars surface air pressure is similar to 30 to 35 km altitude on earth.
Re:Augment, not replace (Score:4, Interesting)
TFA leads off with: "Weather happens in the boundary layer, the atmosphere from ground level to a few thousand metres, but this can be difficult to study in detail: weather stations are too low, and aircraft are expensive."
So, a very targeted augment. To what extent are they firing off balloons simply to grab that boundary layer data rather than the 30km stuff they're great at? I don't know. I suspect that even if not a single balloon is replaced, getting a bunch of high resolution low altitude data upwind of population centers will make the local forecasts a lot better.
We're also now in the era where we're learning what less balloon data looks like, that was one of the cuts DOGE did to the NWS. So getting back SOME data in a more efficient way can only help.