The Effective Retrieval of the Sounding Balloon Combined with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract

The great debate over the Sounding Balloon Project has fast become a hot topic around the world recently. This project can acquire a number of photos from the edge of space, and research the atmosphere which sustains human existence. It is very important for weather forecasting and upper-air sounding. However, due to the instability of the wind, we cannot forecast the track of the balloon. No matter whether the equipment lands in valleys, on roadways or the seas, retrieving the equipment is full of challenges. In this paper, we propose a state-of-the-art method which combines the sounding balloon with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). On the one hand, the sounding balloon may reach altitudes of 30 km. On the other hand, the UAV can achieve autonomous flight. We combine the advantages of both, enabling the sounding balloon to carry the equipment to high altitude, and the UAV to deliver our payload to the designated location landing. In our method, we use a self-developed App to control the UAV, to record the sensor values through built-in sensors, to take the photographs, and so on. This allows our project to proceed more smoothly. According to our experiments, we achieve our aims of safe and effective retrieval, he successful acquisition of lots of photos and information from the high altitude, and an in depth analysis. This integration of software and hardware opens up a different application from that of the past and offers excellent accomplishments.