Mobile, High-Wind, Balloon-Launching Apparatus

Abstract

In order to place instruments for measuring meteorological and electrical parameters into thunderstorms, we developed an inexpensive apparatus that allows us to inflate, transport, and launch balloons in high winds. The launching apparatus is a cylinder of “bubble” plastic that is made by joining the sides of the cylinder together with a VELCRO ”rip strip.” We launch a balloon by pulling the rip strip rapidly. This allows the balloon to pop upward into the ambient low-level wind and carry its instrumentation aloft. We construct different-sized launch tubes to accommodate particular sizes of balloons and have successfully launched balloons in winds of about 20 m s−1.