rocketsonde

[rok-it-sond]

noun Meteorology.

a telemeter for gathering data on the atmosphere at very high altitudes, carried aloft by rocket and returned to earth by parachute.

Origin of rocketsonde

First recorded in 1945–50; rocket¹ + sonde

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

rocketsonde in Science

[rŏk′ĭt-sŏnd′]

An instrument transported to the upper atmosphere by rocket, used to study meteorological conditions. A rocketsonde is capable of measuring and transmitting information to altitudes of about 76,000 m (249,280 ft).