NASA Guided Dropsonde

Exquadrum, Inc. proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative approach to providing NASA with a Guided Dropsonde (NGD). NASA's desire to use existing aircraft systems such as the AVAPS aboard NASA/NOAA P-3 aircraft will be met by incorporating existing dropsonde sensors with innovative aerodynamics, deployment structures, and programmable control packages to facilitate more accurate observations in extreme conditions.

Most airsondes are used by non-NASA government agencies (NOAA. DoD, etc). The National Weather service alone currently launches over 200 airsonde balloons a day in the United States and Caribbean. A small simple system to recover some of these sensors intact could lead to reuse and higher quality equipment and data at a lower cost.

NASA/NOAA probes hurricanes and is interested in ash clouds from volcanic eruptions. This technology would allow greater detailed observations from these and other airborne phenomena that are currently to dangerous to investigate.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.