Acoustic Waves From a Distant Explosion Recorded on a Continuously Ascending Balloon in the Middle Stratosphere

A helium-filled mylar balloon carrying a smartphone and infrasound sensors ascended to a stratospheric height of 35 km over the surface detonation of a chemical explosive, with a total acoustic propagation distance of 127 km. The smartphone was configured to collect multi-modal data at high rates from internal sensors. Analysis of the data shows successful collection of the explosion signal by both the smartphone's microphone and its accelerometers, the first from an ascending balloon. Comparison of the acoustic signal with that collected by other infrasound sensors, both airborne and ground-based, provides insight into the possibilities and limitations of collecting acoustic data from the stratosphere.

Automated summary

This study used a helium-filled balloon and a smartphone to collect acoustic signals from stratospheric explosions, and compared the collected signals with those from other sensors to reveal the possibilities and limitations of collecting acoustic data from the stratosphere.