Today, I’m gonna talk about something I recently tried my hand at – messing around with weather balloons. Yeah, you heard that right, those big, floaty things that go way up in the sky.
First off, I got myself a balloon. I figured, why not go big or go home? So I snagged an 8-foot diameter latex one. It’s a professional quality, whatever that means. It said it bursts at 12’4 and weighs about 300 grams. There were so many different choices, there were also some cheaper smaller options, some bigger ones, and even some that come in different shapes, like a white cloud balloon. I chose this one because it was a good size, had good reviews, and was not very expensive, just around 50 bucks. I found it on some online store, nothing fancy.
Next up, I needed to figure out how to track this bad boy. I read that you can use a satellite tracker, an APRS thing, or even just a cell phone. I went with the cell phone ’cause it seemed the easiest. Also, I learned that you don’t have to return these things if you find them. They’re called radiosondes, by the way. Apparently, people keep them as souvenirs or give them to schools. Pretty cool, huh?
So, I got everything ready. I blew up the balloon, which was a workout in itself, let me tell you. Then I attached the cell phone all secure-like. I double-checked everything ’cause I didn’t want this thing getting lost on the first try.
The launch day came, and I was pumped. I found a big, open field, made sure no one was around, and let ‘er rip. It went up pretty fast, and I was tracking it on the phone. It was actually kind of exciting, watching it go higher and higher.
The Final Result
- The balloon went way up, higher than I expected.
- I managed to track it the whole time, which was a relief.
- It eventually popped and came down, just like it’s supposed to.
- I found it a few miles away, thanks to the tracking.
All in all, it was a pretty cool experience. I learned a lot about weather balloons and how they work. Plus, it was just fun to do something different. If you’re looking for a weird, kind of educational weekend project, I’d say give it a shot. Just make sure you do your research and be safe about it, okay?