Q: Does the weather service still use weather balloons?A: Yes it does, says Brent McRoberts of Texas A&M University. Many of the uses of weather balloons can now be carried out by weather satellites that orbit hundreds of miles above the Earth. “But weather balloons are still used regularly by several agencies,” McRoberts reports. “In fact, there are dozens of weather balloons released every day in the United States. Weather balloons carry sensors that measure specific readings, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and even air pollution. This information is relayed back to a sensor on the ground. There are two types of weather balloons – free-flying and tethered. The free-flying balloons often reach 90,000 feet or more into the atmosphere.”Q: When were the first balloons used?A: It’s believed the first weather balloons were used in France around 1892, McRoberts adds. “One big problem was that winds carried them long distances and the weather experts on the ground often had to wait until they descended, sometimes 700 miles from where they were supposed to land,” he notes. “Gradually, technology improved and in 1936 the first radio transmitters – called radiosondes – were installed in balloons. NASA began using balloons more than 40 years ago and some of their balloons were designed to stay aloft more than a year at a time and circle the globe numerous times at about 80,000 feet. It should be noted that balloons and the equipment in them are often subject to many aviation regulations because they can be a hazard to commercial airliners.”Weather Whys is a service of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University.Q: Does the weather service still use weather balloons?A: Yes it does, says Brent McRoberts of Texas A&M University. Many of the uses of weather balloons can now be carried out by weather satellites that orbit hundreds of miles above the Earth. “But weather balloons are still used regularly by several agencies,” McRoberts reports. “In fact, there are dozens of weather balloons released every day in the United States. Weather balloons carry sensors that measure specific readings, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and even air pollution. This information is relayed back to a sensor on the ground. There are two types of weather balloons – free-flying and tethered. The free-flying balloons often reach 90,000 feet or more into the atmosphere.”Q: When were the first balloons used?A: It’s believed the first weather balloons were used in France around 1892, McRoberts adds. “One big problem was that winds carried them long distances and the weather experts on the ground often had to wait until they descended, sometimes 700 miles from where they were supposed to land,” he notes. “Gradually, technology improved and in 1936 the first radio transmitters – called radiosondes – were installed in balloons. NASA began using balloons more than 40 years ago and some of their balloons were designed to stay aloft more than a year at a time and circle the globe numerous times at about 80,000 feet. It should be noted that balloons and the equipment in them are often subject to many aviation regulations because they can be a hazard to commercial airliners.”Weather Whys is a service of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University.