TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

falling sphere [2 records]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2010-05-14

English

Subject field(s)
  • Weather Stations and Meteorological Instruments and Equipment
DEF

An inflatable sphere released at apogee from a sounding rocket.

CONT

robin sphere. ... The sphere is inflated by evaporation of a contained liquid on release. A corner reflector is ejected as the sphere inflates, permitting track during descent by a precision radar.

CONT

The PWN-12A is another sounding rocket using ... a dart with a ROBIN (Rocket Balloon Instrument) Inflatable Falling Sphere payload. At an apogee of about 115 km (70 miles), the dart releases a ... metalized mylar balloon ... While it is slowly descending back to earth, the balloon is tracked by a high-precision radar ... on the ground. Minimum tracking altitude is about 30 km (18 miles), where the ambient pressure will cause the balloon to collapse. Using the balloon's known mass and volume, the radar track can be used to calculate atmospheric data like wind speed/direction and air density.

CONT

The other type of meteorological payload that can be used on a meteorological rocket consists of a falling ROBIN sphere that is used when probing the atmosphere to over 100 km altitude. These altitudes are above the normal operating levels for the thermistors aboard the rocketsonde. ... This ROBIN sphere is a spherical shaped balloon constructed of a thin (0.0001 mm thick) radar-reflective mylar material that is inflated with a small charge of inert gas to a known mass and volume. The dart containing the sphere typically reaches an altitude of 115 km where the sphere is deployed and inflated. When the sphere is inflated to super-pressure of approximately 10-12 mb, the sphere will reach a 1 meter (3.3. ft) diameter. When the balloon descends to an altitude of approximately 30 km, the air pressure outside the sphere will become greater than that inside, causing the sphere to collapse.

Key term(s)
  • rocket-balloon instrument
  • falling sphere

French

Domaine(s)
  • Stations, instruments et équipements météorologiques
OBS

catasphère : Dispositif gonflé après avoir été éjecté d'une fusée à haute altitude; ses mouvements sont suivis au cours de sa chute pour obtenir des mesures de la densité de l'air et des vents en altitude.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Estaciones, instrumentos y equipos meteorológicos
OBS

esfera en caída libre: Dispositivo que se infla después de ser expulsado de un cohete en la atmósfera superior, obteniéndose medidas de la densidad y de los vientos en las capas superiores al seguir sus movimientos durante su caída libre hacia la Tierra.

Key term(s)
  • esfera en caída libre
Save record 1

Record 2 2010-05-14

English

Subject field(s)
  • Weather Stations and Meteorological Instruments and Equipment
DEF

Device inflated after ejection from a rocket in the upper atmosphere and allowed to fall back to Earth; its movements are monitored to provide measurements of the air density and the upper winds.

CONT

Falling sphere. ... Radar tracking of the descent rate of small spheres released from rockets gives a measure of atmospheric drag, from which densities and temperatures can be inferred.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Stations, instruments et équipements météorologiques
DEF

Dispositif gonflé après avoir été éjecté d'une fusée à haute altitude; ses mouvements sont suivis au cours de sa chute pour obtenir des mesures de la densité de l'air et des vents en altitude.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Estaciones, instrumentos y equipos meteorológicos
DEF

Dispositivo que se infla después de ser expulsado de un cohete en la atmósfera superior, obteniéndose medidas de la densidad y de los vientos en las capas superiores al seguir sus movimientos durante su caída libre hacia la Tierra.

Save record 2

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Display options

Change the order of display of the official languages of Canada
Option to display the non-official languages (Spanish or Portuguese)
Display definitions, contexts, etc., on records

Features

Language Portal of Canada

Access a collection of Canadian resources on all aspects of English and French, including quizzes.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: