Balloon Ascents Research Articles

The space not beyond: T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939) and their musical adaptations as elemental melodrama of an upper-atmospheric limit

ABSTRACT This essay examines T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939) and its subsequent musical adaptation, Cats (1981) by Andrew Lloyd Webber, through the lens of elemental melodrama. It begins with Eliot’s envisioned but omitted conclusion, where a poet ascends with Jellicle cats, and explores its revival in the musical’s song ‘Journey to the Heaviside Layer’. This ascent melodramatises the climactic journey to a heaven, an imaginary space beyond Earth’s tangible experiences. The essay contrasts the musical’s alignment of the Heaviside Layer with a ‘heaven’ oriented toward the desires and aspirations of anthropomorphised cats with Joseph Kittinger’s 1960 high-altitude balloon ascent and Maurice Blanchot’s reflections on Yuri Gagarin’s space mission. Both Kittinger’s and Blanchot’s writings reveal the Heaviside Layer as both a real and metaphorical space of death and existential void, contrasting with the musical’s portrayal of it purely in terms of celestial ascent. Drawing on Peter Brooks’s theory of melodrama as a post-sacred mode, the essay highlights how tableau, gesture, heightened emotion and, especially, song in Cats convey a collective yearning for transcendence. Ultimately, it argues that the Heaviside Layer in Cats serves as a zone of elemental melodramatic transcendence. It is in this context that earthly limitations, particularly those relating to embodied differences of race and sex, exist in tension with feline (and, by implication, human) aspirations for an unreachable ‘beyond’.

High-altitude balloon-launched uncrewed aircraft system measurements of atmospheric turbulence and qualitative comparison with infrasound microphone response

Abstract. This study investigates the use of a balloon-launched uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for the measurement of turbulence in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. The UAS was a glider which could conduct an automated descent following a designated flight trajectory and was equipped with in situ sensors for measuring thermodynamic and kinematic atmospheric properties. In addition, this aircraft was equipped with an infrasonic microphone to assess its suitability for the remote detection of clear-air turbulence. The capabilities of the UAS and sensing systems were tested during three flights conducted in New Mexico, USA, in 2021. It was found that the profiles of temperature, humidity, and horizontal winds measured during descent were in broad agreement with those made by radiosonde data published by the US National Weather Service, separated by up to 380 km spatially and by 3 to 5 h temporally. Winds measured during controlled flight descent were consistent with the winds measured by global-positioning-system-derived velocity during balloon ascent. During controlled descent with this particular payload, a nominal vertical resolution on the order of 1 m was achieved for temperature, relative humidity, and pressure with a nominal vertical resolution of the wind velocity vector on the order of 0.1 m; the aircraft had a glide slope angle from 1 to 4° during this time. Analysis approaches were developed that provided turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate, but it was found that the corresponding Richardson number was sensitive to the methodology used to determine the vertical gradients from a single flight. The low-frequency content of the infrasonic microphone signal was observed to qualitatively align with long-wavelength wind velocity fluctuations detected at high altitude. Moreover, the microphone measured more broadband frequency content when the aircraft approached turbulence produced by the boundary layer.

The Rise and Fall of Westmorland’s ‘County’ Racecourse: Kendal Races 1820–1834

Although many towns had race meetings in the past, most survived only a short time. It has been rare that the reasons why so many failed have been explored. Most simply stopped without any local newspaper explanation. This microstudy of a small local northern race meeting is very suggestive about just how complex and precarious the survival of any meeting could be, and aims to encourage further research. Kendal, the largest town in Westmorland, had very occasional low status race meetings in the eighteenth century on its Fell Side. But in 1820 annual races were revived on a new course to the east of the town, and the following year a new improved course was constructed to the west. The new races, the only ones in Westmorland at that time, lasted only fifteen years, from 1820 to 1834. This paper explores their nature, and the complex reasons lying behind the rise and fall of Kendal’s so-called ‘race week’. It starts by exploring its beginnings and describing the varied attractions that the ‘race week’ offered: wagering, heavy drinking, gaming and trickster activities, entertainments, a band, balloon ascent, dramas, social meals, dancing, assemblies, Wombwell’s menagerie, wrestling and cockfighting. It assesses the numbers and nature of the crowds attending. It then examines the complex reasons lying behind its brief growth and rapid decline. A perfect storm of problems came together: political divisions between the powerful landowning Tory Lowthers who held Westmorland and growing Whig and Reform opposition, which affected finances, patronage and elite attendance; middle-class Kendal attitudes, and dissenter religious opposition; funding problems; decline of gentry interest; inferior racehorse entries; low status jockeys; and bad weather.

Ascending Performance of Scientific Balloons with Buoyant Gas–Air Mixture Inflation for Designated Ceiling Height

This paper aims to investigate a new method that uses buoyant gas mixed with air to control the floating height of scientific balloons. Firstly, the static characteristics and thermophysical properties of mixed-gas balloons are analyzed. Subsequently, the inflation model and the thermal-dynamic coupled model are established. Furthermore, based on theoretical research, a GUI program is compiled to simulate the ascent of mixed-gas balloons. Finally, flight tests are conducted. As the balloon volume expands to the maximum, the vertical velocity begins to decay and eventually oscillates around 0 m/s, which is consistent with the simulation. In addition, there is a noticeable shift in which the balloon starts to float after climbing to the target altitude, and the difference values between the test and the simulation are less than 350 m. Moreover, the trajectory results are similar to the prediction, and the errors of the end position are less than 2.5 km in horizontal distance. Consequently, this paper provides guidance for balloon-designated ceiling height technology which can allow a single balloon system to be used for tests at multiple heights.

Targeted Balloon Observations of Stratosphere‐To‐Troposphere Transport From a Mesoscale Convective System

AbstractStratosphere‐troposphere exchange (STE) is important to the global radiation budget because it is capable of inducing significant changes in trace greenhouse gases such as ozone and water vapor. In the extratropics, stratosphere‐to‐troposphere—or downward—transport (STT) dominates and is routinely driven by upper‐troposphere jet circulations and cyclones. Tropopause‐overshooting convection provides a more rapid STE pathway, but STT in convection is less understood and targeted observations are limited to a handful of fortuitous aircraft encounters. In this study, we seek to improve understanding of STT near thunderstorm anvils using balloon observations of ozone, ground‐based radar observations, visible satellite imagery, and model output. Radar and satellite imagery are used to identify and ultimately target convection driving the “ozone‐wrapping” process. Herein, observations from a single mesoscale convective system in central Oklahoma are reported. A significant ozone enhancement 40%–60% greater than background concentrations in the free troposphere was observed during the balloon ascent underneath and within the anvil of the storm. Backwards particle trajectories were calculated to rule out other sources of this feature such as long‐range transport of stratospheric air and smoke pollution from nearby wildfires. To our knowledge, this work presents the first targeted ozonesonde launch and sampling of this STT process.

Impact of the thermo-mechanical behavior of elastomeric membrane on the flight dynamics of sounding balloons

The following work deals with the coupling of a thermo-mechanical model (TMM) of elastomeric membranes of sounding balloons with a flight dynamics model (FDM) of the whole system composed of a sounding balloon and its gondola. This type of balloon, filled with Helium gas, is typically used for its low cost to conduct tests of space technologies in near-space conditions between 20 km and 40 km above sea level where low pressure of the order of millibar can be found. The coupling between the TMM and the FDM is held by the rate of expansion of the balloon. The rate of expansion depends on the mechanical state of the membrane given by the surrounding atmospheric conditions. The model is used to assess the burst altitude, the time of flight during the ascent and the impact velocity of the gondola at the final stage of the descent. A generic model of the atmospheric conditions provides the necessary aerodynamic parameters to describe the balloon ascent to its final altitude. Special attention is given to the balloon membrane as it is subjected to constant changes of pressure during the ascent. The TMM is built to include the details of the temperature-dependent stress–strain relation experienced by the elastomeric membrane as a function of altitude. Knowing its thermo-mechanical state during the flight allows predicting with greater accuracy the burst altitude and the flight duration than provided by a sole FDM. However, in a thorough effort to understand the limitation of the proposed TMM, its results are compared against those computed from classic hyperelastic models showing key differences. Nevertheless, these differences do not translate into any significant impact on the flight dynamics as shown in the comparison between simulation results and experimental data (time of flight, altitude versus time and impact velocity) obtained for three actual flights that occurred over the State of Guanajuato, Mexico, in 2015 (flight F1), 2016 (flight F2) and 2018 (flight F3). It is argued that the present thermo-mechanical flight dynamic model (TMFDM) can be applied to the fair estimation of the flight duration and the burst altitude with sufficient knowledge of the atmospheric conditions. The model can provide key information for the suborbital flight. Amongst these key information, the maximum altitude reached by the balloon is essential to estimate the impact velocity and subsequently to design reliable impact attenuators to ensure the physical integrity of the payload when the gondola touches the ground. The same information can also be used to determine the operating conditions of payloads in high altitudes. Additionally, the time of flight may be used to plan ahead of time the duration of the tests to be performed in a near-space environment.

Measuring Relative Wind Speeds in Stratospheric Balloons with Cup Anemometers: The TASEC-Lab Mission

This paper shows wind speed measurements from the TASEC-Lab experiment in a stratospheric balloon mission. The mission was launched in July 2021 from León (Spain) aerodrome. Measurements of horizontal wind speed in relation to the balloon gondola were successfully carried out with a cup anemometer. According to the available literature, this is the first time a cup anemometer has been used in a stratospheric balloon mission. The results indicate the need to consider the horizontal wind speed from the balloon ascent phase for thermal calculations of the mission.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, an Enlightener in the Field of Aerostatics

The first flight of a hot-air balloon was demonstrated in France in 1783. On the wave of the Enlightenment, French society saw this flight as a great and promising scientific invention. However, in 18th century Russia’s culture, the hot-air balloon ascents were only regarded as entertainment. Seeing no practical benefit in hot-air balloons, and apprehensive of the fires they could cause, neither Catherine the Great nor Paul I encouraged any interest in aerostation. After Alexander I became Emperor of Russia (1801), the attitude towards hot-air balloon flights in Russia began to change. In this paper we show that it was the famous Russian historian and author Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin who was the first to introduce the educated part of Russian society to how aerostation was seen in Europe, to the experience and scientific knowledge gained as a result of such flights. This significant fact has eluded both the historians and Karamzin’s biographers. Karamzin’s publications concerned with balloon flights are reviewed in this article for the first time, and analyzed in the context of the history of aerostation, which allows to better understand Karamzin’s contribution to changes in the attitude of Russian society towards hot-air ballooning. It is demonstrated, that Karamzin’s thoughts, implicitly reflected in his choice of texts about hot-air balloon flights, which Karamzin adapted, translated, and published in his famous journal Vestnik Evropy (Herald of Europe), were in line with the overall shift in the attitude towards aerostation in Russia during the first years of the reign of Alexander I.

Mid-latitude atmospheric boundary layer electricity: A study by using a tethered balloon platform

In this study, we used a tethered balloon equipped with an instrumented platform to examine the altitude distribution of principal quantities of the lowest atmospheric region of the global electric circuit (GEC), radon volumetric activity, and aerosol particles concentration. Altitude soundings covered approximately 0.5 km of the lowest atmosphere and were accompanied by simultaneous ground-based measurements. This method of spaced observations allowed us to analyze the spatial and temporal changes in electrical quantities of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) more deeply than was possible before. Using successive balloon ascents and descents as well as holding the platform at certain heights, long-lived space charge layers were discovered and the rate of change of charge in atmospheric columns of various thickness was estimated. A charge density of small ions was determined to be enclosed in a range from −20 pC m−3 to 30 pC m−3 reaching the highest values with rare exceptions directly at the earth's surface. It was found that the electric field vertical profiles tend a decrease during the day most pronounced in the lower 100 m. Similar behavior is also demonstrated by radon and aerosol particle concentration profiles. Based on the results of soundings, columnar electrical resistance, electric potential, and electromotive force acting in the ABL in fair-weather conditions are quantified. These estimates show the significant contribution of the ABL to the GEC, which must be taken into account when considering it.

The panorama in Meiji Japan: horizontal and vertical perspectives

ABSTRACT The panorama was introduced to Japan in 1890, two decades after the collapse of the feudal society. Not only the horizontal 360-degree view was a novelty for Japanese audiences, but also the realistic oil paintings drawn in perspective. In the same year, a 12-story viewing tower was erected and the first hot air balloon ascent took place, both in the adjacent Asakusa and Ueno districts where the two major panorama halls stood. These spectacles offered new visual experiences to the masses who were experiencing the new world that had opened to them with the freedom of travel and choice of profession. In other words, with the arrival of late-nineteenth century modernity, people’s gaze expanded both horizontally and vertically. During this period, Japan was in the midst of a rapid process of modernization, aiming at catching up with the Western Great Powers. Concurrently, the Japanese Democracy movement that endorsed values of liberty and civil rights had spread nationwide, and its theorists were among cultural figures who promoted modern and cultural entertainment forms – including the panorama. However, the earlier promises of the Meiji Emperor on creating a democratic society were soon replaced by the pursuit of Japanese Monarchy. The Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1890 put an end to the Democracy movement and to the freedom of expression. Excavating the visual culture around the panorama and its environment, this article offers an alternative viewpoint on the atmosphere of Japan in the late nineteenth century.

Balloon ascent prediction: Comparative study of analytical, fuzzy and regression models

The ascent prediction of high-altitude zero-pressure stratospheric balloons is an important aspect of targeted test flight. Prediction of the balloon ascent rate is the prerequisite for many of the flights as it helps in planning ballasting and valving manoeuvres. In this paper, a standard analytical model, a fuzzy model and a statistical regression model are developed and compared to predict the zero-pressure balloon ascent. The flight data is extracted from the Esrange balloon service system for zero-pressure balloons with different payload capability, and several potential explanatory variables are computed for every sampled climbed segment. For the fuzzy modelling approach, a fuzzy c-mean clustering algorithm is used for system identification and prediction. For the regression approach, a Gaussian process regression is used, and principal component analysis is applied for finding the significant inputs. The result shows that the data driven approaches are more efficient than the standard analytical model.

Overview of and first observations from the TILDAE High-Altitude Balloon Mission

Abstract. Though the presence of intermittent turbulence in the stratosphere has been well established, much remains unknown about it. In situ observations of this phenomenon, which have provided the greatest details of it, have mostly been achieved via sounding balloons (i.e., small balloons which burst at peak altitude) carrying constant-temperature hot-wire anemometers (CTAs). The Turbulence and Intermittency Long-Duration Atmospheric Experiment (TILDAE) was developed to test a new paradigm for stratospheric observations. Rather than flying on a sounding balloon, TILDAE was incorporated as an add-on experiment to the payload of a NASA long-duration balloon mission that launched in January 2016 from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Furthermore, TILDAE's key instrument was a sonic anemometer, which (relative to a CTA) provides better-calibrated measurements of wind velocity and a more robust separation of velocity components. During the balloon's ascent, TILDAE's sonic anemometer provided atmospheric measurements up to an altitude of about 18 km, beyond which the ambient air pressure was too low for the instrument to function properly. Efforts are currently underway to scientifically analyze these observations of small-scale fluctuations in the troposphere, tropopause, and stratosphere and to develop strategies for increasing the maximum operating altitude of the sonic anemometer.

First observations of elevated ducts associated with intermittent turbulence in the stable boundary layer over Bosten Lake, China

AbstractNocturnal radiative cooling is a main driver for atmospheric duct formation. Within this atmospheric process, the impacts of intermittent turbulence on ducting have seldom been studied. In this paper, we reported two confusing ducting events observed in the early morning in August 2014 over Bosten Lake, China, when a stable boundary layer (SBL) still survived, by using tethered high‐resolution GPS radiosondes. Elevated ducts with strong humidity inversions were observed during the balloon ascents but were absent during observations made upon the balloon descents several minutes later. This phenomenon was initially hypothesized to be attributable to turbulence motions in the SBL, and the connection between the turbulence event and the radar duct was examined by the statistical Thorpe method. Turbulence patches were detected from the ascent profiles but not from the descent profiles. The possible reasons for the duct formation and elimination were discussed in detail. The turbulent transport of moisture in the SBL and the advection due to airflows coming from the lake are the most probable reasons for duct formation. In one case, the downward transport of moisture by turbulence mixing within a Kelvin‐Helmholtz billow at the top of the low‐level jet resulted in duct elimination. In another case, the passage of density currents originating from the lake may have caused the elimination of the duct. Few studies have attempted to associate intermittent turbulence with radar ducts; thus, this work represents a pioneering study into the connection between turbulent events and atmospheric ducts in a SBL.

Controlled weather balloon ascents and descents for atmospheric research and climate monitoring.

In situ upper-air measurements are often made with instruments attached to weather balloons launched at the surface and lifted into the stratosphere. Present-day balloon-borne sensors allow near-continuous measurements from the Earth's surface to about 35 km (3-5 hPa), where the balloons burst and their instrument payloads descend with parachutes. It has been demonstrated that ascending weather balloons can perturb the air measured by very sensitive humidity and temperature sensors trailing behind them, particularly in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). The use of controlled balloon descent for such measurements has therefore been investigated and is described here. We distinguish between the single balloon technique that uses a simple automatic valve system to release helium from the balloon at a preset ambient pressure, and the double balloon technique that uses a carrier balloon to lift the payload and a parachute balloon to control the descent of instruments after the carrier balloon is released at preset altitude. The automatic valve technique has been used for several decades for water vapor soundings with frost point hygrometers, whereas the double balloon technique has recently been re-established and deployed to measure radiation and temperature profiles through the atmosphere. Double balloon soundings also strongly reduce pendulum motion of the payload, stabilizing radiation instruments during ascent. We present the flight characteristics of these two ballooning techniques and compare the quality of temperature and humidity measurements made during ascent and descent.

Dynamic and thermodynamic features of low and middle clouds derived from atmospheric radiation measurement program mobile facility radiosonde data at Shouxian, China

By using the radiosonde measurements collected at Shouxian, China, we examined the dynamics and thermodynamics of single- and two-layer clouds formed at low and middle levels. The analyses indicated that the horizontal wind speed above the cloud layers was higher than those within and below cloud layers. The maximum balloon ascent speed (5.3 m s−1) was located in the vicinity of the layer with the maximum cloud occurrence frequency (24.4%), indicating an upward motion (0.1–0.16 m s−1). The average thickness, magnitude and gradient of the temperature inversion layer above single-layer clouds were 117±94 m, 1.3±1.3°C and 1.4±1.5°C (100 m)−1, respectively. The average temperature inversion magnitude was the same (1.3°C) for single-low and single-middle clouds; however, a larger gradient [1.7±1.8°C (100 m)−1] and smaller thickness (94±67 m) were detected above single-low clouds relative to those above single-middle clouds [0.9±0.7°C (100 m)−1 and 157±120 m]. For the two-layer cloud, the temperature inversion parameters were 106±59 m, 1.0±0.9°C and 1.0±1.0°C (100 m)−1 above the upper-layer cloud and 82±60 m, 0.6±0.9°C and 0.7±0.6°C (100 m)−1 above the low-layer cloud. Absolute differences between the cloud-base height (cloud-top height) and the lifting condensation level (equilibrium level) were less than 0.5 km for 66.4% (36.8%) of the cases analyzed in summer.

Falling Stars as Seen From the Balloon

T ravels in the Air is a 19th-century narrative of balloon ascents by meteorologist James Glaisher (1809-1903), astronomer Camille Flammarion, science journalist Wilfrid de Fonvielle, and chemist Gaston Tissandier. Falling Stars as Seen From the Balloon, by Albert Tissandier (18391906), is a chromolithograph from Travels in the Air that illustrates de Fonvielle’s balloon flight of November 14-15, 1867, to view the Leonid meteor shower. In this romantically shaded image, the trajectories of several meteors are superimposed in the night sky. In 1867 an observer would have had to look directly into the moonlight to see the Leonids, but hundreds of meteors were visible despite the glare. De Fonvielle was born in Paris, France, in 1826. He was a student of mathematics in 1848 when the citizens of Paris rebelled against the monarchy of King Louis Philippe. In the subsequent suppression, De Fonvielle, who was a staunch supporter of the insurrection, was arrested and expelled from the country. Eventually he was allowed to return to France, where he became a writer and editor for the scientific publications La Nature, L'Aerophile, and Lumiere Electrique. During the 1850s De Fonvielle made scientific observations in gasfilled balloons. His flight of November 14-15, 1867, was in a small balloon called L'hirondelle. There was just room in the basket for provisions, warm clothing, scientific instruments, and three men: de Fonvielle, the balloon’s owner, and an American aeronaut who wore a parachute and offered to jump out (in poor light, over unknown terrain) if there was a need to lighten the craft. After filling the balloon with hydrogen gas, the aeronauts ascended in the dark, admiring the lights of Paris as

Development of Ultra-Thin Polyethylene Balloons for High Altitude Research upto Mesosphere

Ever since its inception four decades back, Balloon Facility of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad has been functioning with the needs of its user scientists at its focus. During the early nineties, when the X-ray astronomy group at TIFR expressed the need for balloons capable of carrying the X-ray telescopes to altitudes up to 42 km, the balloon group initiated research and development work on indigenous balloon grade films in various thickness not only for the main experiment but also in parallel, took up the development of thin films in thickness range 5 to 6 μm for fabrication of sounding balloons required for probing the stratosphere up to 42 km as the regular 2000-gram rubber balloon ascents could not reach altitudes higher than 38 km. By the year 1999, total indigenization of sounding balloon manufacture was accomplished. The work on balloon grade ultra-thin polyethylene film in thickness range 2.8 to 3.8 μm for fabrication of balloons capable of penetrating mesosphere to meet the needs of user scientists working in the area of atmospheric dynamics commenced in 2011. Pursuant to the successful trials with 61,000-m3 balloon made of 3.8-μm Antrix film reaching stratopause (48 km) for the first time in the history of balloon facility in the year 2012, fine tuning of launch parameters like percentage free lift was carried out to take the same volume balloons to higher mesospheric altitudes. Three successful flights with a total suspended load of 10 kg using 61,000-m3 balloons were carried out in the month of January 2014 and all the three balloons crossed into the mesosphere reaching altitudes of over 51 km. All the balloons flown so far are closed system with no escape ducts. Balloon fabrication, development of launch hardware, flight control instruments and launch technique for these mesospheric balloon flights are discussed in this paper.

Assessment of GPS radiosonde descent data

Abstract. Radiosondes are widely used to obtain basic meteorological parameters such as pressure (P), temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and horizontal winds during the balloon ascent up to the altitude of balloon burst, usually ~ 32–35 km. Data from the radiosondes released from Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E), a tropical station in India, have been collected during the ascent and during the descent as well without attaching any parachute or its equivalent since the year 2008. In the present study an attempt has been made to characterize the radiosonde descent data with the main objective of exploring its usefulness and reliability for scientific purposes. We compared the data obtained during ascent and descent phases of the same sounding. The mean differences in T, RH and horizontal winds between ascent and descent data are found to be small and are sometimes even within the uncertainty of the measurements and/or expected diurnal variation itself. The very good consistency observed between the ascent and the descent data shows that one more profile of the meteorological parameters can be constructed within 3 h of time of balloon launch practically at no additional cost. Further checks are done by utilizing the 3-hourly radiosonde observations collected during the Tropical Tropopause Dynamics campaigns conducted at Gadanki. In the process of checking the consistency between the radiosonde ascent and descent data, several new findings are arrived at and are reported in this study. In general, it has taken more than half an hour for the balloon to reach the ground from the burst altitude. It is also observed that the fall velocity is close to 10 m s−1 near the surface. Finally, it is suggested to record the observations also when the balloon is descending as this information is useful for scientific purposes.

Note: Geiger tube coincidence counter for lower atmosphere radiosonde measurements

Atmospheric profiles of cosmic rays and radioactivity can be obtained using adapted meteorological radiosondes, for which Geiger tubes remain widely used detectors. Simultaneous triggering of two tubes provides an indication of energetic events. As, however, only small volume detectors can be carried, the event rate is small, which, due to the rapid balloon ascent, cannot be circumvented using long averaging periods. To derive count rates at low altitudes, a microcontroller is used to determine the inter-event time. This yields estimates of the coincidence rate below 5 km, where the coincidence rate is too small to determine solely by event counting.

WSR-88D doppler radar detection of corn earworm moth migration

Corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (CEW) populations infesting one crop production area may rapidly migrate and infest distant crop production areas. Although entomological radars have detected corn earworm moth migrations, the spatial extent of the radar coverage has been limited to a small horizontal view above crop production areas. The Weather Service Radar (version 88D) (WSR-88D) continuously monitors the radar-transmitted energy reflected by, and radial speed of, biota as well as by precipitation over areas that may encompass crop production areas. We analyzed data from the WSR-88D radar (S-band) at Brownsville, Texas, and related these data to aerial concentrations of CEW estimated by a scanning entomological radar (X-band) and wind velocity measurements from rawinsonde and pilot balloon ascents. The WSR-88D radar reflectivity was positively correlated (r2=0.21) with the aerial concentration of corn earworm-size insects measured by a scanning X-band radar. WSR-88D radar constant altitude plan position indicator estimates of wind velocity were positively correlated with wind speed (r2=0.56) and wind direction (r2=0.63) measured by pilot balloons and rawinsondes. The results reveal that WSR-88D radar measurements of insect concentration and displacement speed and direction can be used to estimate the migratory flux of corn earworms and other nocturnal insects, information that could benefit areawide pest management programs. In turn, identification of the effects of spatiotemporal patterns of migratory flights of corn earworm-size insects on WSR-88D radar measurements may lead to the development of algorithms that increase the accuracy of WSR-88D radar measurements of reflectivity and wind velocity for operational meteorology.