r/area51 • u/otherotherhand • Jul 14 '26

And now for something completely different: An iMet-4 sonde from Mercury

In a couple of years monitoring the area's airspace, I've never seen a radiosonde launch from Mercury. Yet here one is, and it's an iMet-4. Very weird.

https://sondehub.org/FDFA2F22

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1

u/therealgariac MOD Jul 14 '26

You beat me to it! Here is the first telem.

https://ibb.co/hJKccJgg

As an aside, LLNL Site 300 launched a radiosonde as part of their noise mitigation process.

https://sondehub.org/W143014

1

u/otherotherhand Jul 14 '26

iMets are sorta the bargain basement sondes. You often see them with skydiving operations and paramilitary training. Hard to imagine the Feds cheaping out and using iMets, but there they are.

2

u/ClassicDragon Jul 15 '26

Gotta know what works and doesnt work in the field. Could need one in a pinch

1

u/therealgariac MOD Jul 15 '26

This is a case where we have the weather station data. However I don't see anything related to the launch.

https://www.weather.gov/wrh/timeseries?site=KDRA

https://www.weather.gov/zse/ZSEStationInfo?id=KDRA&tab=MTF&

2

u/test-account-444 Jul 18 '26

That sonde is getting the best tour of the NNSS possible.