ITC/USA 2006 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Second Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 23-26, 2006 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / “Wind Weighting” is the process of assessing the effect of wind on a launch vehicle and determining launcher settings which would counteract that effect. This paper discusses the advantages of using GPS radiosondes to determine wind profiles over the historical method of tracking balloon positions with radar for the purposes of Wind Weighting. The primary advantages are lower costs and greater portability. Also presented is evidence of improved accuracy and reliability. Engineering testing is described and test results are reported.

ITC/USA 2007 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Third Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 22-25, 2007 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Wallops Flight Facility is NASA’s principal site for management and implementation of suborbital research programs. Recently, WFF resumed its successful satellite-launching history without sacrificing its culture of being low-cost and responsive. Part of what made this possible is the GPS radiosonde. During recent successful Minotaur I launches, this tiny instrument provided upper-air observations that were used in six categories of analysis necessary for such launches: toxics, blast, winds aloft, debris, weather and forecasting, and post-flight. In addition, the GPS radiosonde has reduced costs associated with Wind Weighting at Wallops, and is used in numerous range research projects.