# What happens to all the weather balloons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2009, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927 "2009-04-13T08:41:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chickenwrangler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chickenwrangler/32/91_2.png) [@Chickenwrangler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenwrangler)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/1 "2009-04-13T08:41:58Z")
It seems to me that dozens if not hundreds of weather balloons are released daily around the globe to gather information. These balloons are packed with weather gathering instruments and set loose to drift with the winds gathering weather information to relay back to base. What happens to all these balloons with their expensive scientific instruments? Do they get retrieved, How? or is the globe being littered with dead balloons? ---
**Author:** ![acetylene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@acetylene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acetylene)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/2 "2009-04-13T09:27:42Z")
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_balloon): > [@](#): > > The ascent rate can be controlled by the amount of gas with which the balloon is filled. Weather balloons may reach altitudes of 40 km (25 miles) or more, limited by diminishing pressures causing the balloon to expand to such a degree (typically by a 100:1 factor) **that it disintegrates. In this instance the instrument package is usually lost**. So I wonder what happens to the instrument package. Obviously it falls to earth but does it ever hit anyone? ---
**Author:** ![acetylene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@acetylene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acetylene)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/3 "2009-04-13T09:46:40Z")
Just answered my own question. From the [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel](http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/29351609.html): > [@](#): > > And because they waft softly back to terra firma underneath the tiny plastic parachutes, Fleegel has heard no reports of anyone getting conked on the head. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/4 "2009-04-13T12:09:34Z")
They also have a a postage guaranteed thing on them so you can just drop them in a mailbox and they’ll find their way back. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/5 "2009-04-13T14:43:49Z")
UFOs are real. It’s weather balloons that don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/6 "2009-04-13T14:57:51Z")
I found one once, and returned the instrument package in the postage paid envelope that was included. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/7 "2009-04-13T16:33:33Z")
Son-of-a-meteorologist (retired early-1990s) here. At least at Cape Canaveral AFS, one balloon was released each day (sometimes more, if additional readings were needed). There was never an expectation of getting back the instrumentation. It is common for someone to find the fallen packages, with their light bulb and whizzing timer motor, and call their local police (and probably even more-so now). I don’t know if they still release as many balloons as they used to. Dad was also heavily involved with the various [Loki rockets](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Loki). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-all-the-weather-balloons/492927/8 "2009-04-13T18:19:32Z")
There’s a project here where undergrads launch balloons with various sensor packages on them, and they always try to retrieve them (some of the data isn’t telemetried down, and some of the components are reusable for other flights). But occasionally they lose track of it, or can’t get permission to go onto the land where it fell, and those aren’t considered a big deal. In any event the balloon itself isn’t reusable.