"Men", said the poet John Dryden, "are but children of a larger growth." And so, a fortiori, it might sometimes seem in the case of meteorologists. A 100 years or so ago they took to flying kites with gusto, their excuse being to explore the thermal structure of the upper atmosphere. Then some years ago there were the balloons that it was hoped might circle the earth ad infinitum, trapped at a particular level by their own carefully calculated buoyancy.
They never really quite caught on. Neither did the solar-powered model aeroplanes with a somewhat similar roving brief, nor the ultra-intelligent drifting ocean buoys that were intended to lock onto a satellite navigational system, and continually trim their own jibs and topsails to allow them to retain, or sail back to, their pre-assigned positions.
Another innovation of this kind was Halrop. Halrop was the High-Altitude Long-Range Observing Platform, which was essentially an un-manned and remotely-controlled airship 150 metres long, with no internal source of power. Instead, it was fitted with two electric thrusters that derived their energy from a large receiving antenna fitted underneath the aircraft, which converted micro-wave energy into electrical power. The microwave energy, in turn, came from a large parabolic dish upon the ground, which projected a multi-kilowatt beam upwards in the direction of the airship.
The idea was that the thrusters would receive enough power in this way to keep the aircraft in position against whatever winds might be aloft, fixed indefinitely over a pre-destined spot. The snag, of course, was the power of the transmitted beam; there was a tendency for any organism in the way to suffer the same fate, as if enclosed in a domestic microwave.
And there was Perseus. This was a model aeroplane designed by the Americans which could be programmed to follow any pre-planned route, using the latest navigation systems, based on satellites. It was equipped with sensors to measure the pressure, temperature and humidity of the lower stratosphere and transmit the readings back to ground. Perseus was also designed to carry "dropwindsondes" - lightweight instruments jettisoned from a height into the very centre of a storm, which would send back information on the wind and other elements at various levels. It was intended that Perseus would fly right into the eye of Caribbean hurricanes - but whether it did or not, we never really heard.
Thus do meteorologists gather all the information that they need. It's clever - but more importantly perhaps, it's all great fun.