Author Topic: MISSION: recover rawinsonde  (Read 5086 times)

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Marco2001

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MISSION: recover rawinsonde
« on: May 27, 2011, 10:20:52 PM »
MISSION: recover rawinsonde



Quote
    Meteorologists monitor the atmosphere above the surface by using a radio-equipped meteorological instrument package - called radiosondes - carried aloft by a helium-filled weather balloon. The radiosondes measure vertical profiles of air temperature, relative humidity and pressure from the ground all the way up to about 19 miles. Temperature and relative humidity are measured electronically; a small aneroid barometer measures pressure.

    Wind speed and direction can also be determined by tracking the position of the balloon. When winds are also measured, the observation is called a rawinsonde.

Even more interesting was a question I'd always wondered about:  How do meteorolosits get all that equipment back?

    At low air pressures in the stratosphere, the balloon expands so much that it explodes and the radiosonde drifts back to the ground underneath a small parachute.
http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2011/01/retrieving-radiosondes-and-rawinsondes.html

Rawinsondes will be used on Mars for the same reasons we use them on Earth: to collect metheorological data.
The thing is - we cannot know when or where the rawinsonde will land on Mars. That's why we will need to send lots of them to retrive some of them.

Recovering rawinsonde would be a random mission. Your base radio has detected that on of the rawinsondes has landed in your area. Your job would be to go and retrive the data. This would get you bonus points. The location, and time of the landing of such metheo sonde is random, and the package is very small (can be as small as a cell-phone). The baloon is also gone since its very likely torn apart during descent. The way to find such a small package on such a large landscape is indeed a challenge. In order to find the rawinsonde you would have to use the "Radio-locator" tool which can locate the probe by emmiting more *BLEB* sounds when closer and less when recade. When retrieved, the data inside of it needs to be uploaded the the main computer to succesfouly end the mission.

There is a bad ending however - the rawinsonde will NOT emit the signal forever.
Eventually it's power supply will run off, radio signals will stop being emmited and the batteries and otcher parts will froze, and be useless.
Morover - if it's relatively hot outside the rawinsondes battery will last longer...but when it's freazing outside, the batteries will run-off preety quickly, so you to take into account the atmospheric conditions. It may even force you to go outside during dust-storm just to retrieve that data before its to late!

Poland here. My time: GMT + 1h
Writing a book about Mars. Any ideas? Type to me.
I'am an Astrobiology/Biology student.

Marco2001

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Re: MISSION: recover rawinsonde
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2011, 04:49:58 PM »
No reponse?  ;D

Poland here. My time: GMT + 1h
Writing a book about Mars. Any ideas? Type to me.
I'am an Astrobiology/Biology student.

Kilroy_Smith

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Re: MISSION: recover rawinsonde
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2011, 06:31:25 PM »
This would be an interesting mission scenario.

outzoner

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Re: MISSION: recover rawinsonde
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2011, 11:24:13 AM »
............that would be cool with 2 or 3 teams....spread in the aera and checking the beeps....
yes-that would be an interesting mission.

i guess that will be our next quest when all the work is done and everything is running fine.

what about a missioneditor?
if you have got a running colonie on your server, you can give your mates some cool adventures.
How about a special function for the administrator of the server.....he can act like mission-control.....

building special mission will be a very creativ task....      i always loved to do this....
Volunteer for one-way-mission!