Development of a "Smart" Tetroon Capability

这项研究将开发和测试“智能”气球，它的高度可以控制，以提供跟随等熵、恒压表面或其他选择策略的能力。除了通过全球定位系统（GPS）导出的位置数据提供轨迹信息外，智能气球还将携带压力、温度和湿度传感器，这些数据将与位置数据一起传输。通过包括压力和温度传感器以及压力泵，智能气球可以被编程为沿着等熵、湿等熵、等熵或恒压表面跟踪。智能气球的压载将通过在充气的等体积加压气球内填充氦气的可膨胀气球来实现。如果在实验中需要更高的高度，空气就会从加压的外层气球中释放出来。这一作用使充满氦气的内部气球膨胀，并取代较重的释放空气。如果需要一个较低的高度，外部的空气被泵入外层的气球，这增加了它的密度，导致气球包的高度下降。发展这种能力的优点是，仪表化的智能气球可以用于许多观测应用，包括拉格朗日观测策略或规定的探测策略，而不会因接地而造成气球损失的威胁。智能气球利用最新的技术进步，为大气科学研究界提供了一种具有成本效益的新数据收集能力。这种气球，或称tetroons，可用于实地实验，用于调查各种研究问题，从风暴结构到对流层和平流层的大气化学。过去七小时的现场观测数据每隔五分钟在超高频上与卫星的GPS位置一起传送。然后，这些数据可以被距离tetroon大约100英里的机载研究平台上的接收器截获。

This research will develop and test "smart" balloons whose altitude can be controlled to provide the capability to follow isentropic, constant pressure surfaces or other chosen strategies. In addition to providing track information through Global Positioning System (GPS) derived position data, the smart balloons will carry pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, and these data will be transmitted along with the position data. By including pressure and temperature sensors and a pressure pump, the smart balloon can be programmed to track along isentropic, moist isentropic, isopycnic or constant pressure surfaces. The ballasting of the smart balloon will be achieved using an helium filled, expandable balloon inside an air-filled constant-volume, pressurized balloon. If a higher altitude is required during an experiment, air is released from the pressurized outer balloon. This action allows the helium-filled inner balloon to expand and take the place of the heavier released air. If a lower altitude is desired, outside air is pumped into the outer balloon, which increases its density and causes the balloon package to decrease in altitude. The virtue in development of this capability is that the instrumented smart balloons can be utilized in a number of observational applications including: Lagrangian observational strategies, or in prescribed sounding strategies, without the threat of balloon loss through groundings. Smart balloons capitalize on recent technological advances to provide a cost-effective, new data gathering capability for the atmospheric sciences research community. Such balloons, or tetroons, can be deployed during field experiments directed at investigation a variety of research problems ranging from storm structure to atmospheric chemistry in the troposphere and stratosphere. In situ observational data for the previous seven hours are transmitted at five minute intervals on UHF along with GPS position of the tetroon. These da ta can then be intercepted by receivers on-board research platforms within approximately one hundred miles of the tetroon.