Talk:Weather balloon

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[edit] Helium vs. Hydrogen

RE: "...rarely hydrogen...", as I recall, the US NWS changed from heliuim to hydrogen about 25 years ago. Have they changed back? Rsduhamel 01:57, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

An email this morning from Bill Blackmore of the US NWS says that about 1/3 of their stations use helium and the rest use hydrogen.CambridgeBayWeather 15:14, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

I was trained using helium in the early 1990s by both the USAF and Metropolitan State College of Denver. 147.145.40.43 00:41, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Safety risks?

For the lay reader, this page should also address the possible safety risks caused by the falling instrument packages when the balloons disintegrate - or is there some kind of parachute mechanism to restrict the falling speed?

In this respect, the appr. size and weight of the instrument package would also be of interest to the lay reader. -Typofier 09:44, 2 September 2007 (UTC)