Rocketsonde Observations

Rocketsonde Observations is digital data set DSI-5850, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). This is meteorological upper air data. DSI-5850 is comprised of a network of about 42 stations, located globally. Data for agency networks is forwarded to respective agency collection points, where computers reduce and record the observations uniformly. The earliest data is from 1957. The basic observational data set contains observation time in hours and minutes (UTC) and details of methods used, i.e., time difference between rocketsonde and rawinsonde, types of wind and thermodynamic sensors used, any special sensors, types of wind and thermodynamic correction methods, boundary altitudes of questionable data, rawinsonde instrument used, distance and direction of rawinsonde release point from rocket launch point, and altitude (geometric decameters), pressure (mb), and temperature (Deg. C) of the base data used. Rocketsonde parameters include time of observation (UTC), polar wind direction (whole degrees with respect to North) and speed (whole meters per second), North-South and East-West wind components (magnitude in whole meters per second), fall velocity (whole meters per second), temperature (Deg. C), and computed values of pressure (mb), density (grams per cubic meter-signed exponent), and speed of sound (whole meters per second). The rocketsonde summaries retention data file contains summaries and summaries-squared totals of north-south and east-west wind components, pressure, density, and speed of sound.