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Weather Balloons and Radiosondes
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Weather Balloons and Radiosondes
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Below are checklists of Weather balloons and balloon-related devices on postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.). Catalog numbers, years of issue, and notes on the items featured are given when available. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.
Equipment carried aloft with weather balloons: Weather balloons always carry with them an instrument package known as a radiosonde. Some balloons also have a parachute that allows the package to drift gently back to the surface after the balloon bursts. Some older systems also carried a boxy radar reflector that would efficiently reflect the energy from a tracking radar. As will be seen in the table of weather balloon stamps, different systems can have different combinations of these three attachments.
1964 Common Design FDCs from 8 African countries: The 8 FDC entries from 1964, highlighted in yellow in the table below, all have the same (Éditions J.F.) cachet (except for color differences). That Common Design is for the 4th World Meteorological Day, and also features a weather balloon.
| Launch covers (including anniversary-of-launch covers, and launch-related event covers) (farther below) |
Other postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.) (immediately below) |
|---|---|
| Weather balloons and radiosondes | Weather balloons and radiosondes |
| Pilot balloons (pibals) and tracking theodolites | |
| Weather balloon tracking antennas and tracking equipment | |
| Ozonesondes (ozone sounding balloons) | Ozonesondes (ozone sounding balloons) |
| Isentropic balloons2 | Éole-program isentropic balloons1 (from Argentina) and other isentropic balloons |
| Un-manned stratospheric balloons (scientific, but non-isentropic) | Un-manned stratospheric balloons |
| Dropsondes | Dropsondes |
Below is a list of Weather balloons on postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.).
| Country | Catalog Number | Type of Item | Year of Issue | Type of Weather Balloon or Radiosonde |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather balloons and radiosondes | ||||
| Afghanistan | 1360 (Mi1644) | 1989 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Albania | 1210 (Mi1338) | 1969 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Albania | 1208-1210 fdc | One of three stamps on FDC | ||
| Algeria | 351 (Mi451) i351 | Imperforate | 1966 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (with 3 cups) |
| Algeria | 351 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC (Alger cancel, blank/no cachet) | ||
| Algeria | 351 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (Oran cancel, blank/no cachet) | ||
| Algeria | 351 fdc3 | Stamp on FDC (orange and grey and black printed cachet) | ||
| Algeria | 351 fdc4 | Stamp on FDC (Éditions J.F. cachet) | ||
| Algeria | 351 ds | Deluxe sheet (351) | ||
| Algeria | None | (Alger) cancel | 1969 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Algeria | None | (Oran) cancel on cover | ||
| Angola | 860 (Mi915) | 1993 | Weather balloon | |
| Argentina | 769 (Mi856) | 1965 | (probable) weather balloon in launch shelter | |
| Argentina | 769 fdc1 | Stamp and cachet on FDC | ||
| Argentina | 769 fdc2 | Stamp and cachet (different) on FDC | ||
| Argentina | 770 cover (Mi857 cover) | Cachet on cover | 1965 | (probable) weather balloon in launch shelter |
| Argentina | C105 (Mi898) | 1966 | Project Matienzo3: Track of rising instrumented balloons (dashed line in stamp); Gamma Centaur research rocket | |
| Argentina | C105 fdc1 | Stamp and (black printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Argentina | C105 fdc2 | Stamp and (black printed) cachet on FDC card | ||
| Argentina | C105 fdc3 | Stamp and (hand-colored) cachet (same, except for the coloring) on FDC card | ||
| Argentina | C105 fdc4 | Stamp and (red and cyan and black printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Argentina | C105 fdc5 | Stamp and (black and blue and red printed) cachet on (airmail) FDC | ||
| Argentina | C105 folder | FDC folder | ||
| Argentina | C105 folder2 | Inside of folder (different) | ||
| Argentina | None | (Two rubber-stamp) cachets on cover | 1969 | Two weather balloons / radiosondes, one with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 vanes that are angled for half their area) |
| Argentina | None | (Two rubber-stamp) cachets on cover (different) | 1969 | Two weather balloons / radiosondes, one with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 vanes that are angled for half their area) |
| Argentina | None | (Black printed) cachet on cover | 1970 | penguin holding weather balloon (cachet design is a modified version of the cachets found in NZ cover 1961 and NZ cover 1978) |
| Argentina | 977 fdc1 (Mi1127 fdc1) | (Magenta and purple printed) cachet on FDC | 1972 | Weather balloon / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 vanes that are angled for half their area) |
| Argentina | 977 fdc2 (Mi1127 fdc2) | (Green and cyan and grey and black printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Argentina | 977 card (Mi1127 card) | (Green and cyan and grey and black printed) cachet on FDC card | ||
| Argentina | 977 cover1 (Mi1127 cover1) | (Pictorial) cancel and (blue and yellow=green printed) cachet on cover | 1972 | Weather balloon / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 vanes that are angled for half their area) |
| Argentina | 977 cover2 (Mi1127 cover2) | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet (different color) on (airmail) cover | 1972 | (partial) Weather balloon / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 vanes that are angled for half their area) |
| Argentina | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1984 | Weather balloon |
| Argentina | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1988 | Weather balloon / radiosonde; also "Ozonesonde" (in Spanish text in left cachet) |
| Argentina | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1988 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Argentina | None | (Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on (airmail) cover | 1993 | Weather balloon / radiosonde; also "Ozonesonde" (in Spanish text in left (purple rubber-stamp) cachet, or in more detail in this black version) |
| Argentina | 2966a (Mi3924) | One of MS4 (2966 (a-d)) (BL181, Mi3924-3927) | 2022 | Radiosonde balloon at the Observatorio Central Buenos Aires in 1939 |
| Argentina | 2966 fdc | MS4 on FDC | ||
| Argentina | 2966 brochure | Brochure outside | ||
| Australia | 431 fdc (Mi395 fdc) | (WCS pink/green) cachet on FDC (Adelaide SA cancel) | 1968 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (likely with 3 cups) |
| Australia | 431-432 fdc1 | (WCS yellow/green) cachet on FDC (Melbourne Philatelic Bureau VIC cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-432 fdc2 | (WCS yellow/green) cachet on FDC (Newcastle NSW cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-432 fdc3 | (WCS blue-green/green) cachet on FDC (Burleigh Heads QLD cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-432 fdc4 | (WCS blue-green/green) cachet on FDC (Russell Street Philatelic VIC cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-432 fdc5 | (WCS orange-brown/green) cachet on FDC (GPO Sydney NSW cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-433 fdc1 | (WCS blue-green/green) cachet on FDC (Nedlands South WA cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-433 fdc2 | (WCS blue-green/green) cachet on FDC (Essendon VIC cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-433 fdc3 | (WCS orange-brown/green) cachet on FDC (Newcastle NSW cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-433 fdc4 | (WCS orange-brown/green) cachet on FDC (GPO Brisbane QLD cancel) | ||
| Australia | 431-433 fdc5 | (WCS pink/green) cachet on FDC (Clarence St. Sydney NSW cancel) | ||
| Australia | 432 fdc (Mi396 fdc) | (WCS yellow/green) cachet on FDC (Haymarket NSW cancel) | ||
| Australia | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover, also back | 2007 | Weather balloon |
| Australia | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 2009 | Weather balloon |
| Australian Antarctic Territory | L117n (Mi138) | One of MS20 (L117 (a-t)) (Mi125-144) | 2001 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Belgium | C16 (Mi1111) | 1958 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Belgium | None | Cachet on cover | 2010 | (probable) weather balloon launch shelter, modern version of Argentina 769 |
| Belgium | 2655 (BL176, Mi4398-4402) | In (upper-right) margin of MS5 (2655 (a-e)) | 2013 | weather balloon / parachute |
| Belgium | 2655 changed | MS5 (2655 (a-e)) with changed colors (when above 25°C in strip of 4 (2655f) and also in lower-left margin); also hot-and-cold animation | ||
| Brazil | 2127 (Mi2244) | In (upper-right) margin of SS1 | 1988 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Brazil | 2127 fdc | SS1 on FDC | ||
| British Antarctic Territory | 21 (Mi21) | 1969 | Two weather balloons / radar reflectors | |
| British Antarctic Territory | 144 (Mi147) | 1987 | Weather balloon / radar reflector | |
| British Antarctic Territory | 237 (Mi247) | 1996 | Weather balloon | |
| British Antarctic Territory | 235-238 fdc1 | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| British Antarctic Territory | 235-238 fdc2 | One of four stamps on FDC (different) | ||
| British Antarctic Territory | 239 (BL3) | In (right) margin of SS1 | ||
| British Antarctic Territory | 239 fdc1 | SS1 on FDC | ||
| British Antarctic Territory | 239 fdc2 | SS1 on FDC (different) | ||
| British Antarctic Territory | 430c+d (Mi563-564) | From MS8 (430 (a-h)) (Mi561-568) | 2011 | Weather balloons |
| Burma | 275 (Mi276) | 1980 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Burundi | C265a (Mi1415) | Stamp-on-stamp: UN 50 on one of block of 4 (C265 (a-d)) (Mi1415-1418) | 1977 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Canada | 479 (Mi420) | 1968 | Weather balloon | |
| Canada | 479 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC (H&E cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (Cole cover cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc3 | Stamp on FDC (Rosecraft cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc4 | Stamp on FDC (Jackson Covers/C. Chickering cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc5 | Stamp and (purple rubber-stamp) cachet on FDC (Jackson Covers/C. Chickering cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc6 | Stamp on FDC (Schering cachet), also back | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc7 | Stamp on FDC (blue and yellow printed cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc8 | Stamp on FDC (black and tan printed cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc9 | Stamp on FDC (Mapleaf cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 fdc10 | Stamp on FDC (blue rubber-stamp cachet) | ||
| Canada | 479 sc | Souvenir card | ||
| Central African Republic | C18 fdc (Mi56 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Chad | 100 fdc (Mi115 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Chad | 227 (Mi305) | 1970 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde | |
| Chad | 227 ds | Deluxe sheet (227) | ||
| Chad | 227 fdc | Stamp and (orange and green and black printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Chad | 227 proof1 | Signed proof (orange) | ||
| Chad | 227 proof2 | Signed proof (green) | ||
| Chad | 227 proof3 | Signed proof (grey) | ||
| Chad | 227 proofs | Color proof strip | ||
| China (People's Republic) | 368 (Mi396) | 1958 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 cups) | |
| China (People's Republic) | 367-369 fdc | One of three stamps and (China Philatelic Company) cachet on FDC, also back | ||
| China (People's Republic) | 484 (Mi512) | 1960 | Weather balloon / radar reflector / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (with 3 or more cups) | |
| China (People's Republic) | 1384 (Mi1394) | 1978 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| China (People's Republic) | 1384-1388 fdc | One of five stamps on FDC | ||
| China (People's Republic) | None | (Cyan and red and black printed) cachet on cover, also annotated, and back | 1991 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| China (People's Republic) | 3067 (Mi3195) | 2000 | Balloon tethersonde | |
| China (People's Republic) | 3066-3069 fdc1 | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| China (People's Republic) | 3066-3069 fdc2 | One of four stamps and cachet on FDC | Balloon tethersonde, weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| China (People's Republic) | None | (Pictorial) cancel on postal card, with detail same as cachet on PRC 367-369 fdc | 2010 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 cups) |
| China (Taiwan) | 1337 (Mi452) | 1962 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| China (Taiwan) | 1337 specimen | Overprinted with bars through face value | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 1338 fdc1 | (orange and black printed) cachet on FDC (Taipei cancel), also information cutout (insert?) | Weather balloon | |
| China (Taiwan) | 1338 fdc2 | (Multi-color printed) cachet on FDC | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| China (Taiwan) | 1339 (Mi454) | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 1339 specimen | Overprinted with bars through face value | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 1337+1339 fdc1 | One of two stamps and (magenta rubber-stamp) cachet on FDC (Taipei cancel) | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| China (Taiwan) | 1337+1339 fdc2 | One of two stamps and (purple rubber-stamp) cachet (same) on FDC (Tainan cancel) | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 1337-1339 fdc | One of three stamps and (magenta rubber-stamp) cachet on FDC | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 1337-1339 folder1 | FDC folder (Hsinchu and Tainin cancels), also front | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 1337-1339 folder2 | FDC folder (Hsinchu cancels), also front | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 1651-1652 fdc1 (Mi766-767 fdc1) | (Blue printed and magenta rubber-stamp) cachets on FDC (Taipei cancel) | 1970 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| China (Taiwan) | 1651-1652 fdc2 (Mi766-767 fdc2) | (Cyan printed and magenta rubber-stamp) cachets (same) on FDC (Taipei, Taiwan cancel) | ||
| Congo Republic | 111 fdc (Mi42 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Croatia | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on postal card | 2013 | Weather balloon (upper right of the TV screen) |
| Cuba | 962 (Mi1024) | 1965 | Weather balloon | |
| Cuba | 961-963 fdc | One of three stamps on FDC | ||
| Cuba | 1221 (Mi1291) | 1967 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde (at lower-right) | |
| Cuba | 1592 (Mi1666) | 1971 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Cuba | 1589-1592 fdc | One of four stamps and (pictorial) cancel on FDC | ||
| Cyprus | 960 (Mi959) | On stamp and on (left) selvedge of block of 4 (4x 960) | 2000 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Cyprus | 960 specimen | Overprinted "specimen" | ||
| Cyprus | 960 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC (Cyprus Post cachet) | ||
| Cyprus | 960 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (Cyprus Post and blue rubber-stamp cachet) | ||
| Cyprus | 960 fdc3 | Stamp on FDC (brown and purple printed cachet) | ||
| Cyprus | 960 sc | Souvenir card, also back | ||
| Cyprus | 957-960 card | Advertising postcard (957-960) back, also front | ||
| Denmark | 489 fdc (Mi521 fdc) | (MN) cachet on FDC | 1972 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Denmark | 1004 (Mi1077) | 1994 | Wegener's weather balloon, 1906-1908 Danish Greenland expedition (same design as cachet on Greenland 268-269 fdc) | |
| Denmark | 1004-1005 fdc | One of two stamps on FDC | ||
| Dominica | 356 (Mi356) | 1973 | Weather balloon / radar reflector / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (with cups) | |
| Dominica | 354-360 fdc | One of seven stamps on FDC | ||
| Dominica | 354-360 proofs1 | Proof sheet | ||
| Dominica | 354-360 proofs2 | Proof sheet (different) | ||
| Dubai | 121 (Mi365) | 1970 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector | |
| Dubai | 122 (Mi366) | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (with 6 cups) | ||
| Finland | 531 (Mi728) | 1973 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Finland | 531 fdc1 | Stamp(s) on FDC | ||
| Finland | 531 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (different) | ||
| Finland | 938 (Mi1249) | 1994 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Finland | 938 fdc | Stamp(s) on FDC | ||
| France | 1903 fdc (Mi2416 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1983 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| France | None | (Pictorial) cancel on aerogramme | 1996 | Weather balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Green rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1984 | Weather balloon / possible radar reflector or parachute / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Green rubber-stamp) cachet on cover (different) | 1984 | Weather balloon / possible radar reflector or parachute / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1984 | Weather balloon / possible radar reflector or parachute / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 100+111 cover (Mi174+188 cover) | (Round rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1985 | Weather balloon / radar reflector / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Round rubber-stamp) cachet on cover (different) | 1985 | Weather balloon / radar reflector / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Round rubber-stamp) cachet on cover (different) | 1985 | Weather balloon / radar reflector / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 (Mi218) | 1986 | Weather balloon | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC (? cachet) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (? cachet, slightly different) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 fdc3 | Stamp on FDC (Éditions J.F. cachet) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 cover (Mi218 cover) | Stamp and cachet on cover | 1986 | Weather balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Green-blue) cachet on cover | 1986 | Weather balloon / radiosonde (possibly with temperature sensor on extended arm) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Annotated) cachet on cover | 1986 | Weather balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Green with red number) cachet on cover | 1988 | Weather balloon / radiosonde (possibly with temperature sensor on extended arm) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Round rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1991 | Weather balloon / radar reflector / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Round rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1992 | Weather balloon / radar reflector / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | Cachet on cover (blue) | 1993 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189a cover (Mi311-312 cover) | (Two black) cachets on cover | 1993 | Two weather balloons / radiosondes |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | Cachet on cover | 1994 | 11,000th weather balloon / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 294f_stamp (Mi464) | On stamp in booklet pane of 7 (294a-g) and on stamp and in (center) margin of one SS1 (294f); booklet contains 28 stamps (14 in two different booklet panes of 7 and in 14 SS1 with margin design the same as each stamp); also booklet front and back) | 2001 | Weather balloon / radiosonde; "release of the weather balloon" |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 294f_stamp cover (Mi464 cover) | Stamp on cover | 2003 | Weather balloon / radiosonde; "release of the weather balloon" |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | Cachet on cover | 2004 | Two weather balloons launched from meteo (MTO) observatory at Martin de Viviès base |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | Cachet on cover | 2007 | Weather balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | Cachet on cover | 2007 | "Ballon sonde météorologique" |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Blue rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 2009 | (small) weather balloon / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Blue rubber-stamp) cachet (different) on cover | 2009 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet (different) on cover | 2009 | Weather balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | Also detail from (blue rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 2011 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 2011 | Weather balloon / radiosonde (at left in the detail image) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 495 cover (Mi852 cover) | (Round rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 2015 | weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Gabon | 170 fdc (Mi196 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Germany | None | Postcard back, also front | 1918 | Early instrumented balloon (possibly carrying a meteorograph) |
| Germany (East) | None | (Pictorial) cancel and (Philatelistenverband im Kulturbund der DDR) cachet on cover | 1986 | Sounding balloon, 1911-1912 German Antarctic expedition |
| Germany (West) | None | (Red printed) cachet on cover | 1981 | Weather balloon / radiosonde (above the ship's stern) |
| Ghana | 503 (Mi520A) i503 (Mi520B) | Imperforate | 1973 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (with cups) |
| Ghana | i503-i506 fdc | One of four imperforate stamps on FDC | ||
| Ghana | i507 fdc (BL51B fdc) | (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC | Weather balloon | |
| Gilbert and Ellice Islands | 220 (Mi215) | 1973 | Weather balloon / radiosonde / radar reflector | |
| Gilbert and Ellice Islands | 218-221 fdc | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| Great Britain | None | Instrument return card, also back | 1982 | Radiosonde instrument return card |
| Great Britain | None | Instrument return card (different), also back | 1982 | Radiosonde instrument return card |
| Great Britain | None | Instrument return card, also back | 1983 | Radiosonde instrument return card |
| Great Britain | None | Instrument return card (different), also back | 1983 | Radiosonde instrument return card |
| Greece | None | Cachet (design and color based on UN 49) on WMD cover | 1970 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Greece | None | Cachet (design and color based on UN 50) on WMD cover | 1970 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Greenland | 268-269 fdc (Mi247-248 fdc) | (Black printed) cachet on FDC | 1994 | Wegener's weather balloon, 1906-1908 Danish Greenland expedition (same design as Denmark 1004) |
| Greenland | 766 (Mi?) | 2017 | Weather balloon | |
| Greenland | 766-767 fdc | One of two stamps and (pictorial) cancel and (multi-color printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Greenland | 803 (Mi814) | 2019 | Weather balloon | |
| Greenland | 802-803 fdc | One of two stamps and (Greenland Post) cachet on FDC | ||
| Grenada | 493 (Mi519) | 1973 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (with cups) | |
| Hungary | 1664 (Mi2106A) i1664 (Mi2106B) | Imperforate | 1965 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde |
| Hungary | 1660+1662-1665 fdc i1660+i1662-i1665 fdc | One of five stamps on FDC One of five imperforate stamps on FDC | ||
| Indonesia | 840 fdc (Mi728 fdc) | (Blue-grey and brown printed) cachet on FDC | 1973 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (with 4 vanes that are angled for half their area) |
| Iraq | 644 (Mi716) | 1972 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (uncertain design; may be 4 angled vanes or 4 cups) | |
| Iraq | 645 (Mi717) | |||
| Ivory Coast | 213 (Mi266) | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Ivory Coast | 213 fdc1 | Stamp and (Éditions So.Ge.Im.) cachet (same design as stamp) on FDC | ||
| Ivory Coast | 213 fdc2 | Stamp and (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | ||
| Ivory Coast | 213 fdc3 | Stamp and (Éditions P.J.) cachet on FDC | ||
| Jamaica | 746 (Mi760) | 1991 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Jamaica | 747 (Mi761) | |||
| Jamaica | 746-747 fdc | Two stamps and (reproductions of stamps on) cachet on FDC | ||
| Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania | 260 (Mi248) | 1973 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde with (possible) horizontal sequencer2 (indeterminate whether cups or vanes) | |
| Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania | 259-262 fdc1 | One of four stamps on FDC (Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania cancel) | ||
| Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania | 259-262 fdc2 | One of four stamps on FDC (Kampala, Uganda cancel) | ||
| Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania | 259-262 card | Presentation card | ||
| Korea (South) | 2142 (Mi2398) | From MS20 (2142b (20x 2142)) | 2004 | Symbolic weather balloon (light-blue shape) |
| Korea (South) | 2142a | Imperforate MS4 (4x i2142) | ||
| Korea (South) | 2142 fdc | Stamp on FDC | ||
| Kuwait | 272 (Mi269) | 1965 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde | |
| Kuwait | 273 (Mi270) | |||
| Kuwait | 274 (Mi271) | |||
| Kuwait | 272-274 fdc1 | Three stamps on FDC (blank/no cachet) | ||
| Kuwait | 272-274 fdc2 | Three stamps on (airmail) FDC (blank/no cachet) | ||
| Kuwait | 272-274 fdc3 | Three stamps on FDC | ||
| Kuwait | 1132 (Mi1224) | 1990 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Kuwait | 1133 (Mi1225) | |||
| Kuwait | 1134 (Mi1226) | |||
| Kuwait | 1132-1134 fdc | Three stamps on FDC | ||
| Libya | 276 (Mi185) | 1965 | Four weather balloons | |
| Libya | 277 (Mi186) | |||
| Libya | 278 (Mi187) | |||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc1 | Three stamps and (brown printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc2 | Three stamps and (red-brown printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc3 | Three stamps and (black printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc4 | Three stamps and (black printed) cachet (different) on FDC | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc5 | Three stamps and (red printed) cachet on FDC (Tripoli cancel) | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc6 | Three stamps and (red printed) cachet on FDC (Tripoli 2 cancel) | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc7 | Three stamps on FDC (red and blue and gold printed cachet) | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc8 | Three stamps on FDC (black printed cachet), also insert | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc9 | Three stamps on FDC (black printed cachet, slightly different) | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc10 | Three stamps on FDC (red and black and green printed cachet) | ||
| Libya | 276-278 fdc11 | Three stamps on FDC (multi-color printed cachet) | ||
| Libya | 359 (Mi274) | 1969 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Libya | 359 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC | ||
| Libya | 359 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (different) | ||
| Libya | 359 fdc3 | Stamp and cachet on FDC | (As above for stamp); cachet has same design as UN 49 and 50 | |
| Libya | 507-508 fdc (Mi423-424 fdc) | (Cyan and black printed) cachet on FDC | 1973 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde; cachet has same design as UN 49 and 50 |
| Macedonia | 185 fdc (Mi194 fdc) | (Multi-color printed) cachet on FDC | 2000 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Mali | 45 (Mi62) i45 | Imperforate | 1963 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Mali | 46 (Mi63) | |||
| Mali | 47 (Mi64) | |||
| Mali | 45-47 fdc1 | Three stamps on FDC (Éditions J.F. cachet) | ||
| Mali | 45-47 fdc2 | Three stamps and (Éditions So.Ge.Im.) cachet on FDC | ||
| Mali | 45-47 fdc3 | Three stamps and (Éditions P.J.) cachet on FDC | ||
| Mauritania | 175 fdc (Mi229 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Mexico | C323 fdc (Mi1227 fdc) | (Cyan and black printed) cachet on FDC, also detail | 1967 | "Globo sonda"; Weather balloon / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (possibly with cups) |
| Namibia | 690 (Mi698) | 1991 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Namibia | 690-693 fdc1 | One of four stamps on FDC (Namibia PT cachet), also insert | ||
| Namibia | 690-693 fdc2 | One of four stamps on FDC (Namibia silk cachet) | ||
| New Zealand | None | Cachet on cover | 1961 | Weather balloon (same design as NZ cover 1978; for another use see Argentina cover 1970) |
| New Zealand | None | Cachet on cover | 1978 | Weather balloon (same design as NZ cover 1961; for another use see Argentina cover 1970) |
| New Zealand | 794 (Mi892) | 1984 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| New Zealand | 791-794 fdc | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| New Zealand | 794 fdc | Stamp and (Benham) cachet on FDC | ||
| New Zealand | 794a (Mi889-892) | MS4 (791-794) | ||
| New Zealand | 794a cover1 | MS4 on cover | 1985 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| New Zealand | 794a cover2 | MS4 on cover (different) | ||
| Niger | C41 fdc (Mi70 fdc) | (Brown) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde; cachet has same design as UN 49 and 50 |
| Norway | 1500 (BL34) | In (lower-left) margin of MS2 (1500 (a-b)) (BL34) | 2007 | Weather balloon |
| Norway | 1500 fdc | MS2 on FDC | ||
| Norway | 1500 folder | MS2 in FDC folder | ||
| Norway | 1889 (Mi2014) | 2020 | Weather balloon / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 emphasized (probably 4 angled vanes) | |
| Norway | 1889 maxi | Maxicard | ||
| Poland | 2976 (Mi3275) | 1990 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Poland | 2976-2977 fdc | Stamp on FDC | ||
| Portugal | 1114 (Mi1147) | 1971 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Portugal | 1113-1115 fdc | One of three stamps on FDC | ||
| Qatar | 348 (Mi562) | 1973 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (probably cups) | |
| Romania | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on stamped envelope | 1984 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | 1765 (Mi1791) | 1955 | (faint) Weather balloon | |
| Russia (USSR) | 1766 (Mi1792) | |||
| Russia (USSR) | 2091 (Mi2104) | 1958 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Russia (USSR) | 2091 cover (Mi2104 cover) | Stamp on cover | 1958 | Weather balloon / radiosonde; also International Geophysical Year (IGY) |
| Russia (USSR) | 1766 cover (Mi1792 cover) | Stamp on cover | 1959 | (faint) Weather balloon |
| Russia (USSR) | 2234 (Mi2260) | 1959 | Weather balloon | |
| Russia (USSR) | 2235 (Mi2261) | Weather balloon / radiosonde | ||
| Russia (USSR) | 2495 (Mi2500) | 1961 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Lower-right purple rubber-stamp) cachet on stamped envelope | ~1961 | Weather balloon |
| Russia (USSR) | None | Cachet on cover | 1961 | Weather balloon / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 (whirling); "10,000 radiosonde launches, 30-3-1961" from North Pole-8 Arctic drifting station |
| Russia (USSR) | None | Cachet on cover (no stamp, different cancel) | ||
| Russia (USSR) | 3700 (Mi3728) | 1970 | Weather balloon | |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on (airmail) stamped envelope | 1979 | Weather balloon / radiosonde, 50 years of Soviet radiosondes |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Blue and red printed) cachet on cover, also detail | 1980 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | 4898 (Mi5029) | From MS36 (4898a (36x 4898)) | 1981 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | 4898 fdc | Stamp on FDC (Soviet Ministry of Postal Services and Telecommunications cachet), also back | ||
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on stamped envelope | 1982 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet (different) on stamped envelope | 1982 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Pictorial) cancel and (multi-color printed) cachet on postal card | 1984 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | None | Cancel (different) and cachet (same) on postal card | 1984 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on stamped envelope | 1985 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1987 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Blue rubber-stamp) cachet on cover; also same violet cachet | 1991 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on stamped envelope | 1991 | Weather balloon |
| Russia | None | (Square rubber-stamp) cachet on stamped envelope | 1992 | Weather balloon |
| Russia | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1993 | Balloon launch from Molodezhnaya Antarctic base |
| Russia | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1994 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet | 1994 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia | 6575a (BL30) | In margin of MS5 (6571-6575 + label) | 2000 | Weather balloon |
| Russia | Y1081 | 100 roubles (silver coin) | 2007 | Weather balloon |
| Russia | 7206 cover (Mi1630 cover) | (Multi-color printed) cachet on cover | 2011 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Russia | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on stamped envelope | 2011 | Weather balloon |
| St. Pierre and Miquelon | 431 (Mi495A) i431 (Mi495B) | Imperforate | 1974 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector |
| St. Pierre and Miquelon | 431 fdc | Stamp and (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | ||
| St. Pierre and Miquelon | 431 ds | Deluxe sheet (431) | ||
| Salvador, El | 1195-1196 fdc (Mi1738-1739 fdc) | (Purple printed) cachet on FDC | 1989 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Saudi Arabia | 456 (Mi389) | 1967 | Weather balloon / radiosonde with horizontal sequencer2 emphasized (probably 4 angled vanes) | |
| Saudi Arabia | 457 (Mi390) | |||
| Saudi Arabia | 458 (Mi391) | |||
| Saudi Arabia | 459 (Mi392) | |||
| Saudi Arabia | 460 (Mi393) | |||
| Saudi Arabia | 456-460 fdc | Five stamps on FDC | ||
| Saudi Arabia | 670 (Mi577) | 1975 | Weather balloon / radar reflector | |
| Senegal | C62 (Mi372) iC62 | Imperforate | 1968 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde with vertical sequencer2 (probably cups) |
| Senegal | C62 proof1 | Signed proof (green) | ||
| Senegal | C62 proof2 | Signed proof (blue) | ||
| Senegal | C62 fdc | Stamp on FDC | ||
| Senegal | C62 ds | Deluxe sheet (C62) | ||
| Senegal | 1442 (Mi1953) i1442 | Imperforate | 2000 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Senegal | 1442 ds | Deluxe sheet (1442) | ||
| South Africa | None | Cachet on cover | 1979 | Balloon tethersonde (on USCGC Courier) |
| South Africa | 613 (Mi629) | 1983 | Weather balloon, with radar reflector and horizontal sequencer (in maxicard2 image) | |
| South Africa | 613 maxi1 | Stamp and cachet on maxicard | ||
| South Africa | 613 maxi2 | Stamp and cachet (different) on maxicard, also back | ||
| South Africa | 610-613 fdc1 | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| South Africa | 610-613 fdc2 | One of four stamps on FDC (different) | ||
| South Africa | None | (Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1995 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Spain | None | (Blue and red printed) cachet on cover | 1979 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Spain | None | Aerogramme | 1999 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Staffa (Scotland) | Local | Local post stamp | 1978 | Weather balloon |
| Staffa (Scotland) | Local fdc | Local post stamp on FDC | ||
| Staffa (Scotland) | Local sheet | Local post FDC on information sheet | ||
| Syria | C452 (Mi1097) | 1970 | Weather balloon / radiosonde with (possible) horizontal sequencer2 (indeterminate whether cups or vanes) | |
| Syria | C453 (Mi1098) | |||
| Thailand | 1173 (Mi1196) | One of booklet pane of 5 (1173a (5x 1173)) | 1987 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Thailand | 1461 (Mi1479) | 1992 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Thailand | 1472 (Mi1498) | From strip of 5 (1472a (5x 1472)), also booklet of 5 front | 1992 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Thailand | 1472 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC (two cancels), also insert | ||
| Thailand | 1472 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC | ||
| Tunisia | 441 fdc (Mi633 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| United Nations | 49 (Mi55) | 1957 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| United Nations | 49 maxi | Maxicard | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc1 | Stamp and (C. George black and blue) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc2 | Stamp and (C. George red and blue) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc3 | Stamp and cachet (different) on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc4 | Stamp and (Ken Boll/Cachet Craft) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc5 | Stamp and (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC (3-line cancel) | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc6 | Stamp and (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC (4-line cancel) | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc7 | Stamp and (velvet) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc8 | Stamp and (Artmaster) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49 fdc9 | Stamp on FDC (ArtCraft cachet) | ||
| United Nations | 50 (Mi56) | |||
| United Nations | 50 fdc1 | Stamp and (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC (3-line cancel) | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc2 | Stamp and (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC (4-line cancel) | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc3 | Stamp and (C. George red and lbue) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc4 | Stamp and (C. George black and blue) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc5 | Stamp and (velvet) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc6 | Stamp and (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc7 | Stamp and (Artmaster) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc8 | Stamp on FDC (Ken Boll/Cachet Craft cachet) | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc9 | Stamp on FDC (Ken Boll/Cachet Craft cachet, different colors) | ||
| United Nations | 50 fdc10 | Stamp on FDC (The Aristocrats/Day Lowry cachet) | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc1 | Two stamps on FDC (ArtCraft cachet) | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc2 | Two stamps and (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc3 | Two stamps and (Rank velvet) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc4 | Two stamps and (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc5 | Two stamps and (Knoble) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc6 | Two stamps on FDC (multi-color printed cachet) | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc7 | Two stamps on FDC (Ken Boll/Cachet Craft cachet) | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc8 | Two stamps on FDC (Ken Boll/Cachet Craft black cachet) | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc9 | Two stamps and (The Aristocrats/Day Lowry) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 188 fdc1 (Mi204 fdc1) | (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC (2-line cancel), also detail | 1968 | Weather balloon |
| United Nations | 188 fdc2 (Mi204 fdc2) | (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC (3-line cancel), also detail | ||
| United Nations | 188-189 fdc (Mi204-205 fdc) | (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC, also detail | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 cover (Mi55-56 cover) | Two stamps on FDC | 1974 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| United Nations | 550 fdc (Mi575 fdc) | (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC | 1989 | Weather balloon |
| United Nations | 551 fdc (Mi576 fdc) | (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC | ||
| United States | None | (Cyan rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1953 | Balloon tethersonde |
| Upper Volta | 130 fdc (Mi145 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde |
| Upper Volta | C63 (Mi258) iC63 | Imperforate | 1969 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Upper Volta | C63 ds | Deluxe sheet (C63) | ||
| Upper Volta | C63 proof1 | Signed proof (green) | ||
| Upper Volta | C63 proof2 | Signed proof (brown) | ||
| Upper Volta | C63 fdc | Stamp on FDC (Éditions So.Ge.Im. cachet) | ||
| Vanuatu | 565 (Mi889) | 1992 | Weather balloon / radiosonde | |
| Vanuatu | 565-568 fdc | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| Vanuatu | 565-568 folder | Folder inside (pages 1-2), also front | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235 (Mi312) | 1964 | Weather balloon / parachute / radiosonde | |
| Vietnam (South) | 236 (Mi313) | |||
| Vietnam (South) | 237 (Mi314) | |||
| Vietnam (South) | 238 (Mi315) | |||
| Vietnam (South) | 238 ds | Deluxe sheet (238) | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc1 | Four stamps and (magenta and black printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc2 | Four stamps and (yellow-orange) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc3 | Four stamps and (brown and gree) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc4 | Four stamps and (black and blue) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc5 | Four stamps and cachet (different) on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc6 | Four stamps and cachet (different) on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc5 | Four stamps on FDC (brown and green cachet) | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc6 | Four stamps on FDC (magenta and green cachet) | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc7 | Four stamps on FDC (blue and orange cachet) | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc8 | Four stamps on FDC (different) | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc11 | Four stamps on FDC (different) | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 235-238 fdc12 | Four stamps on FDC (different) | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc1 (Mi525 fdc1) | (Black printed) cachet on FDC | 1973 | Weather balloon / parachute / radar reflector / radiosonde |
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc2 (Mi525 fdc2) | (Green and red printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc3 (Mi525 fdc3) | (Orange and brown printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc4 (Mi525 fdc4) | (Yellow-orange and green printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc5 (Mi525 fdc5) | (Yellow-orange and red printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc6 (Mi525 fdc6) | (Blue and red printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc7 (Mi525 fdc7) | (Yellow-green and red printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc8 (Mi525 fdc8) | (Red-brown printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc9 (Mi525 fdc9) | (Orange-brown printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 fdc10 (Mi525 fdc10) | (Green printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 folder1 | (Blue and black printed) cachet from FDC folder, also inside | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 folder2 | (Green and red-brown printed) cachet from FDC folder | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 folder3 | (Yellow-orange and green printed) cachet from FDC folder | ||
| Vietnam (South) | 447 sc | Cachet from souvenir card | ||
| Vietnam | 2338 (Mi2413) i2338 | Imperforate | 1992 | Weather balloon / radiosonde |
| Vietnam | 2338-2339 fdc | One of two stamps on FDC | ||
| Ozonesondes (ozone sounding balloons) | ||||
| Ozone-related items, other than ozonesondes, are found on the ozone page. | ||||
| Argentina | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1988 | Ozonesonde and Antarctic ozone hole; also radiosonde (in right cachet) |
| Argentina | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1990 | Ozonesonde; recommencement of ozone soundings at Vicecomodoro Marambio Meteorological Station |
| Argentina | None | (Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on (airmail) cover, or in more detail in this black version | 1993 | "Ozonesonde" (in Spanish text); also weather balloon / radiosonde (in (upper-right) cachet) |
| British Antarctic Territory | 176 (Mi177) | 1991 | Ozonesonde "balloon launch at Halley IV" | |
| British Antarctic Territory | 176-179 fdc | One of four stamps on FDC, also insert and insert back | ||
| Burundi | 1113b (Mi2601) | One of MS4 (1113 (a-d)) (Mi2600-2603), also detail | 2012 | "Release of ozonesonde balloons at the South Pole" (in French text) |
| Burundi | 1113b ss (BL?) | On stamp of SS1 (1113b) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C115 (Mi277A) iC115 (Mi277B) | One of strip of 2 (C116a (C115-C116 + label)), or five of MS10 (C116b (5x 166a (115-116))) One of imperforate strip of 2 (iC116a (iC115-iC116 + label)) | 1991 | Ozonesonde balloon for ozone study |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C115 fdc | Stamp on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C116a fdc1 | One of strip of 2 on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C116a fdc2 | One of strip of 2 and cachet on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C116a fdc3 | One of strip of 2 and cachet (different) on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C116a fdc4 | One of strip of 2 on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C116a sc | Souvenir card | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C116a cover (Mi277-278 cover) | One of strip of 2 and (blue-green) cachet (detail of same cachet, except black) on cover | 1991 | (As above for stamp); "Terre Adélie ozonosondage 1990-1991" (referring to ozonesonde launches from the Dumont d'Urville station, in cachet) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Dark-blue) cachet (detail of same cachet, except black) on cover | 1991 | "Terre Adélie ozonosondage 1990-1991" (referring to ozonesonde launches from the Dumont d'Urville station) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1991 | Ozonesonde and "Terre Adélie ozonosondage 1990-1991" (referring to ozonesonde launches from the Dumont d'Urville station) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 206 cover (Mi334 cover) | (Black printed) cachet on cover | 1996 | "Ozonosondage" at Dumont d'Urville base, Antarctica |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 224 cover (Mi359 cover) | (Balloon-shaped) cachet on cover | 1998 | "Sondages ozone" at Dumont d'Urville base, Antarctica |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Balloon-shaped) cachet on cover | 1999 | "Sondages ozone" at Dumont d'Urville base, Antarctica |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 304+315 cover (Mi? cover) | Cachet on cover | 2003 | Ozonesonde; also O3 |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 331 cover (Mi537 cover) | Cachet on cover | 2004 | Ozonesonde; also O3 |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | Cachet on cover | 2007 | Antarctic ozone soundings [by balloon] (in French text); also O3 |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Multi-color printed and blue rubber-stamp) cachets on cover | 2015 | Ozonesondes; "23 juillet 2015 - sondage ozone"; also graphic based on the ozonesonde data with a vertical profile of ozone partial pressure in mPa |
| Germany (East) / Russia (USSR) | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover (with Russian stamp) | 1989 | Ozonesonde |
| Germany (East) | None | (Magenta rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1989 | Ozonesonde |
| Pilot balloons (pibals) and tracking theodolites | ||||
| Australian Antarctic Territory | L6 fdc (Mi? fdc) | (WCS) cachet on FDC | 1961 | (possible) pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no balloon depicted) |
| Australian Antarctic Territory | L6 fdc1 | Stamp and (WCS) cachet on FDC (Adelaide cancel) | ||
| Australian Antarctic Territory | L6 fdc2 | Stamp and (WCS) cachet on FDC (Melbourne cancel) | ||
| Australian Antarctic Territory | L6 fdc3 | Stamp on FDC | ||
| Australian Antarctic Territory | L14 (Mi16) | 1966 | Pilot balloon and tracking theodolite | |
| Australian Antarctic Territory | L12+L14 cover (Mi12+14 cover) | One of two different stamps on cover | 1979 | Pilot balloon and tracking theodolite |
| Belgium | B799 (Mi1450) | 1966 | (possible) pilot balloon and tracking theodolite, 1963-1965 Belgian Antarctic expedition | |
| Belgium | B797+B799 fdc | One of two stamps on FDC | ||
| Belgium | B797-B800+B800 stamp folder | FDC folder | ||
| British Antarctic Territory | 82-85 fdc (Mi84-87 fdc) | (Cyan and blue printed) cachet on FDC | 1981 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no balloon depicted) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 8 (Mi10) | 1957 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no balloon depicted) | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 9 (Mi11) | |||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 10 (Mi12) | |||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189 (Mi312) | One of pair (189a (188-189 + label)) (Mi311-312) | 1993 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite; also pilot balloon (on maxicard cachet) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189 maxi | Maxicard | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189a fdc | One of pair on FDC (Éditions J.F. cachet) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189a sheet | Information sheet | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189a ds | Deluxe sheet | ||
| Germany (East) | None | (Black printed) cachet (including reproduction of Russia 1767) on cover | 1962 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no balloon depicted) |
| Romania | B415 (Mi1167) | See detail | 1948 | Pilot balloon and tracking theodolite |
| Romania | B416a (BL38) | Imperforate MS4 (iB413-iB416), colors (slightly) changed | ||
| Romania | None | Postal card | 1998 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no balloon depicted), 1898-1899 Belgica Antarctic expedition |
| Ross Dependency (New Zealand) | L97 (Mi102) | 2006 | Triangular pilot balloon and tracking theodolite | |
| Russia (USSR) | 1767 (Mi1793) | 1955 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no balloon depicted) | |
| Russia (USSR) | 1767a (BL27) | MS4 (4x 1767) | ||
| Russia (USSR) | 1767b (BL30) | MS4 (1767a (4x 1767)) overprinted in red | 1962 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no balloon depicted) |
| Russia (USSR) | 1767b fdc | MS4 on FDC | ||
| Russia (USSR) | 3251 fdc (Mi3275 fdc) | (Blue and black printed) cachet on FDC | 1966 | Pilot balloon |
| Russia | 7189 (Mi1611) | 2009 | Pilot balloon | |
| Russia | 7189 fdc | Stamp on FDC | ||
| South Africa | 613 maxi (Mi629 maxi) | (Multi-color printed) cachet on maxicard, also back | 1987 | Pilot balloon tracking theodolite (no pilot balloon depicted, instead a weather balloon with radiosonde, radar reflector and horizontal sequencer) |
| United Nations | 188 fdc (Mi204 fdc) | (Cover Craft Cachets) cachet on FDC, also theodolite detail, and insert | 1968 | Pilot balloon with (possible) light for night launch, and tracking theodolite |
| United Nations | 188-189 fdc (Mi204-205 fdc) | (Cover Craft Cachets) cachet on FDC, also theodolite detail, and insert | ||
| United States | UX57 fdc1 | (Cover Craft Cachets) cachet on FDC | 1970 | Pilot balloon with (possible) light for night launch |
| United States | UX57 fdc2 | (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC | Pilot balloon and tracking theodolite | |
| Weather balloon tracking antennas and tracking equipment (See also APT-like (multiple-helix and multiple-Yagi) tracking antennas on the APT page.) |
||||
| Argentina | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1984 | Weather balloon tracking antenna |
| Argentina | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1988 | Weather balloon tracking antenna |
| Argentina | 2966c (Mi?) | One of MS4 (2966 (a-d)) | 2022 | Small shelter dome, possibly for a small balloon-tracking antenna |
| Argentina | 2966 fdc | MS4 on FDC | ||
| Argentina | 2966 brochure | Brochure outside | ||
| Belize | 972 (Mi1071) | 1991 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome | |
| Chile | None | Back of cover; also front | 2018 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome (at left) at Great Wall Antarctic station. |
| China (Taiwan) | 2222 (Mi1374) | 1981 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome on building | |
| China (Taiwan) | 2221-2222 fdc | One of two stamps on FDC | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 2221-2222 folder | One of two stamps in folder, also inside and outside (front and back) | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 3574k_1 (Mi2986-2995) | In (lower) margin of MS10 (3574k (a-j + 10 labels)) | 2004 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome on roof of Central Weather Bureau (CWB) HQ in Taipei |
| China (Taiwan) | 3574k_2 (Mi2986-2995) | In (lower) margin of MS10 (3574k (a-j + 7 labels)) (different) | ||
| China (Taiwan) | 3574k_3 (Mi2986-2995) | In (lower) margin of MS10 (3574k (a-j + 5 labels)) (different) | ||
| Czechoslovakia | 837 maxi (Mi1056 maxi) | On maxicard background only | 1957 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | None | (Annotated) cachet on cover | 1986 | Weather balloon tracking antenna |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 333 (Mi539) | 2004 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome at Alfred Faure base (on building at back of the group of buildings) | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 437 (Mi733) | 2011 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome at Martin de Viviès base (atop building at upper right in background) | |
| Germany (East) | None | (Blue rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1984 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome (on hillock in background) |
| Germany (West) | None | (Pictorial) cancel | 1979 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna |
| Gilbert and Ellice Islands | 220 (Mi215) | 1973 | Wind-finding (weather balloon tracking) radar | |
| Gilbert and Ellice Islands | 218-221 fdc | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| Great Britain | None | (Maia, The Band, private advertising) cinderella | 2012 | Weather balloon tracking antenna (at lower right, but no balloon visible); (design similar to Russia 2235, in which the balloon is visible) |
| India | 1284 fdc1 (Mi1225 fdc1) | (Department of Posts) cachet on FDC (Calcutta cancel), also back | 1989 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome (also in this photo) |
| India | 1284 fdc2 (Mi1225 fdc2) | (Department of Posts) cachet on FDC (New Delhi cancel) | ||
| Korea (North) | 2998 (Mi3201) | 1991 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome | |
| Korea (North) | 3545 (Mi?) | In (right) margin of MS2 (a-b) | 1996 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Korea (North) | 3545 fdc | MS2 on FDC | ||
| Malagasy Republic | C78 (Mi519) iC78 | Imperforate | 1964 | (probable) weather balloon tracking antenna (feedhorn missing, or not visible); the same type of antenna is found in the (Fleetwood) cachet of UN 49 fdc1 and 49 fdc2 |
| Malagasy Republic | C78 ds | Deluxe sheet (C78) | ||
| Malagasy Republic | C78 proof1 | Signed proof (green) | ||
| Malagasy Republic | C78 proof2 | Signed proof (black) | ||
| Malagasy Republic | C78 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC (Éditions P.J. cachet) | ||
| Malagasy Republic | C78 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (Éditions J.F. cachet) | ||
| Malagasy Republic | C78 fdc3 | Stamp and (Éditions So.Ge.Im.) cachet on FDC | ||
| Niger | C55 (Mi117) iC55 | Imperforate | 1966 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome on stern of ship |
| Niger | C55 ds | Deluxe sheet (C55) | ||
| Niger | C55 proof | Signed proof | ||
| Niger | C55 proof-pair | Color proof pair | ||
| Niger | C55 maxi | Maxicard | ||
| Niger | C55 fdc | Stamp on FDC (black printed cachet) | ||
| Panama | 457D (Mi782) | 1964 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome | |
| Panama | 457D specimen | Overprinted "specimen" | ||
| Portugal | 3654 (Mi3988) | 2014 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome atop Coimbra University Geophysical Institute building | |
| Portugal | 3655 (Mi3989) | |||
| Portugal | 3656 (Mi3990) | |||
| Portugal | 3657 (Mi3991) | |||
| Portugal | 3658_stamp (Mi3992) | Stamp from SS1 (BL368), also detail | ||
| Portugal | 3654-3657 fdc | Four stamps and (pictorial) cancel and (Correios de Portugal) cachet on FDC, also back | ||
| Portugal | 3654-3658 folder | (Correios de Portugal) FDC folder front, also inside and back with English text | ||
| Romania | None | Postal card | 2007 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia (USSR) | 2235 (Mi2261) | 1959 | Weather balloon tracking antenna; (see also Great Britain cinderella 2012) | |
| Russia (USSR) | None | Postal card | 1981 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on postal card (Moscow cancel) | 1984 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia (USSR) | None | Cachet (same) on postal card (Tallinn cancel) | 1984 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1987 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1987 | (possible) weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia (USSR) | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1994 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia | 6575a (BL30) | In (lower-left) margin of MS5 (6571-6575 + label) | 2000 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia | 6939 (Mi1306) | 2006 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome | |
| Russia | 6939-6941 fdc | One of three stamps and (red and blue and black printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Russia | 6941a (BL?) | On selvedge of MS6 (6x 6941) | ||
| Russia | None | (Pictorial) cancel | 2006 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia | 7140 cachet (Mi1549 cachet) | (Green rubber-stamp) cachet on 7140 fdc, or on 7140a fdc | 2009 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Russia | None | Cachet on cover | 2010 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| Spain | None | (Blue and red printed) cachet on cover | 1979 | Weather balloon tracking antenna |
| Ukraine | None | (Multi-color printed) cachet on cover | 1999 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome |
| United Nations | 49 fdc1 (Mi55 fdc1) | (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC (3-line cancel) | 1957 | Weather balloon tracking antenna and tracking equipment; the same type of antenna is found in Malagasy C78 |
| United Nations | 49 fdc2 (Mi55 fdc2) | (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC (4-line cancel) | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc1 | (Fleetwood) cachet on FDC | ||
| United Nations | 49-50 fdc2 | (The Aristocrats/Day Lowry) cachet on FDC | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome | |
| United States | 1431 fdc (Mi? fdc) | (Fleetwood) cachet on cover | 1971 | Weather balloon tracking antenna shelter dome (in background) |
| Éole-program isentropic balloons1 (from Argentina) and other isentropic balloons | ||||
| Argentina | 977 (Mi1127) | 1972 | Éole-program balloon | |
| Argentina | 977 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC | ||
| Argentina | 977 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (different) | ||
| Argentina | 977 fdc3 | Stamp on FDC (different) | ||
| Argentina | 977 card | Stamp in FDC card | ||
| Argentina | 977 folder | Stamp in FDC folder (partial) | ||
| Argentina | 977 sc | Souvenir card (Buenos Aires cancel) | ||
| Argentina | 977 sc | Souvenir card (Rosario cancel) | ||
| Argentina | 977 cover1 (Mi1127 cover1) | Stamp on cover | 1972 | Éole-program balloon |
| Argentina | 977 cover2 (Mi1127 cover2) | Stamp on (airmail) cover (different) | ||
| Argentina | 977 cover3 (Mi1127 cover3) | Stamp on cover (different) | ||
| Argentina | 977 cover (Mi1127 cover) | Stamp on (airmail) cover | 1973 | Éole-program balloon |
| Argentina | 977 cover (Mi1127 cover) | Stamp on cover | 1974 | Éole-program balloon |
| Argentina | 977 cover1 (Mi1127 cover1) | Stamp on cover | 1975 | Éole-program balloon |
| Argentina | 977 cover2 (Mi1127 cover2) | Stamp on cover (different) | ||
| Central African Republic | C115 (Mi326A) iC115 (Mi326N) | Imperforate | 1973 | Éole-program balloon; also Éole satellite |
| Central African Republic | C115 proof1 | Signed proof (blue) | ||
| Central African Republic | C115 proof2 | Signed proof (black) | ||
| Central African Republic | C115 proof3 | Signed proof (red) | ||
| Central African Republic | C115 proofs | Color proof strip | ||
| Central African Republic | C115 fdc | Stamp on FDC | ||
| France | None | (CNES) cachet on cover | 1981 | Éole-program balloons |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C50 (Mi128) iC50 | Also annotated Imperforate | 1979 | FGGE tropical constant level balloon (an isentropic balloon); the balloon data were collected by a ATN-type/NOAA satellite as part of "Programme Argos" |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C50 fdc1 | Stamp on FDC (Éditions P.J. cachet) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C50 fdc2 | Stamp on FDC (Éditions J.F. cachet) | ||
| Mali | 174 (Mi331) i174 | Imperforate | 1972 | Éole-program balloon |
| Mali | 174 ds | Deluxe sheet (174) | ||
| Mali | 174 fdc | Stamp and (multi-color printed) cachet on FDC | ||
| Un-manned stratospheric balloons | ||||
| Ajman | Mi1257A Mi1257B | Imperforate | 1972 | Apparent Earth-based test of a stratospheric balloon that could be used in future exploration of Mars |
| Argentina | None | Cachet on cover | 1974 | Stratospheric balloon launch from Orcadas Meteorological Observatory |
| Argentina | 977 cover (Mi1127 cover) | Cachet (same) on cover (different) | 1974 | Stratospheric balloon launch from Orcadas Meteorological Observatory |
| Argentina | None | Cachet (same) on cover (different) | 1974 | Stratospheric balloon launch from Orcadas Meteorological Observatory |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serb Admin.) | 126g (Mi191) | One of booklet pane of 7 (126 (a-g + 2 labels)) (Mi185-191), also selvedge detail | 2000 | (possible) stratospheric balloon and payload |
| Brazil | 955 cover (Mi1031 cover) | (Cyan printed) cachet on cover | 1965 | Stratospheric balloon |
| Canada | 376 fdc1 (Mi323 fdc1) | (Blue and red printed) cachet on FDC (Ottawa cancel) | 1958 | Stratospheric balloon |
| Canada | 376 fdc2 (Mi323 fdc2) | (Blue and red printed) cachet on FDC (Kitchener cancel) | ||
| China (People's Republic) | None | (Cyan and red and black printed) cachet on cover, also annotated, and back | 1991 | Stratospheric research balloon |
| Comoro Islands | 789 (BL365) i789 | In (right) margin of SS1 In (right) margin of imperforate SS1 | 1992 | Stratospheric balloon |
| France | None | (Association philatélique du CNES) cachet on cover | 1977 | Stratospheric balloon |
| France-Corsica-Bastia | None1 | Local post1, from MS4 (4x local1) | 1988 | Stratospheric balloon |
| France-Corsica-Bastia | None2 | Local post (different), from MS4 (4x local2) | ||
| France-Corsica-Bastia | None2 specimen | Local post2, overprinted "specimen" | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 24 (Mi29) | 1963 | Stratospheric balloon | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 24 proof | Color proof | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 24 proofs | Color proof strip | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 24+C6 fdc1 | Stamp and (Éditions P.J. green) cachet on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 24+C6 fdc2 | Stamp and (Éditions P.J. blue) cachet on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 24+C6 fdc3 | Stamp and (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C71 cover (Mi? cover) | Cachet on cover | 1983 | Stratospheric balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C81 (Mi192) | One of strip of 2 (C82a (C81-C82 + label)) (Mi192-193) | 1983 | Stratospheric balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C82a fdc | Strip of 2 and cachet on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189 maxi (Mi312 maxi) | (Black printed) cachet on maxicard | 1993 | Stratospheric balloon |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 189a fdc (Mi311-312 fdc) | (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | 468d (Mi785) | One of strip of 5 (468 (a-e + 5 labels)) (Mi782-786), or five of MS25 (468f (5x 468 (a-e + 5 labels)) | 2012 | Antarctic stratospheric balloon (Concordias mission, McMurdo) |
| Germany (East) | 371 (Mi616) | 1958 | Stratospheric balloon | |
| Germany (East) | 371-372 fdc | One of two stamps on FDC | ||
| Germany (West) | None | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1986 | Stratospheric balloon |
| Germany | None | (DLR) cachet on cover | 1994 | Stratospheric balloon |
| ISO (Sweden) | Local_ss | In (lower-right) margin of imperforate silver local post SS1 | 1978 | Stratospheric balloon |
| ISO (Sweden) | Local_ss | In (lower-right) margin of imperforate gold local post SS1 | ||
| Mongolia | 372 (Mi378) | 1965 | Stratospheric balloon | |
| Mongolia | 372+375+C7-C8 fdc | One of four stamps on FDC | ||
| Mozambique | 946 (Mi1015) | 1985 | Stratospheric balloon | |
| Oman State | None g (Mi none) | One of MS8 (a-h) | 1979 | Telescope carried into the stratosphere by a Stratoscope-2 balloon |
| Romania | C281 (Mi4578) | 1989 | "[altitude] limit of [stratospheric] balloon: 20 miles" | |
| Romania | C278+C281-C282 fdc | One of three stamps on FDC | ||
| Sweden | 1892 (Mi1664) | One of booklet pane of 3 (1893a (1891-1893)), with booklet front, and booklet interior (1893b (2x 1893a)) (MH159, Mi1663-1665); also full booklet (1893c) | 1991 | Stratospheric balloon |
| Sweden | 1893a fdc | Booklet pane of 3 on FDC | ||
| Sweden | 1893a folder | Inside of folder (2x (1893a (1891-1893))) | ||
| Sweden | 1893a black | Blackprint | ||
| Sweden | i1893a trial | Imperforate trial color printing on white paper | ||
| Sweden | 2605b (Mi?) | On one of pair (2605 (a-b)) (Mi2687-2688), or two of booklet pane of 4 (2605c (2x 2605)), also booklet outside (front and back) and booklet interior | 2009 | Stratospheric balloon |
| Sweden | 2605c fdc | On two of four stamps on FDC | ||
| United States | 1529 fdc (Mi1136 fdc) | (GSFC Operation Kohoutek cyan rubber-stamp) cachet on FDC | 1974 | Stratospheric balloon |
| United States | None | (GSFC Operation Kohoutek blue rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1974 | Stratospheric balloon |
| United States | None | (Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | 1983 | Stratospheric balloon |
| Dropsondes | ||||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 (Mi218) | 1986 | Dropsondes descending by parachute; also detail of one of the dropsonde instrument packages (in the stamp) | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 fdc1 | Stamp and (purple rubber-stamp) cachet on FDC (? cachet) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 fdc2 | Stamp and (purple rubber-stamp) cachet on FDC (? cachet, slightly different) | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 fdc3 | Stamp and (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C92 cover (Mi218 cover) | Stamp and cachet on cover | 1986 | Dropsondes descending by parachute; also detail of one of the dropsonde instrument packages (in the stamp) |
1Instrumented long flight-time southern hemispheric Earth-circling constant-density (isentropic) meteorological balloons, launched from different locations in Argentina and tracked by French Éole satellites.
2Sequencers are wind-driven anemometer-like devices used, in lieu of other means, for mechanical switching among the various measurements (pressure, temperature, and humidity) recorded by radiosonde packages. Sequencers can be mounted so that the arms lie in a vertical or a horizontal plane. Since a weather balloon floats with the horizontal wind, no relative horizontal wind is present to turn a sequencer. Therefore, sequencers (either cups in a vertical plane or angled vanes in a horizontal plane) are designed to turn under the influence of the relative vertical wind due to the ascent of the radiosonde.
3This document describes briefly Project Matienzo.
Below is a list of Weather balloons and other scientific balloons on balloon, satellite, and rocket launch covers.
| Country | Cancel Date | Cancel Location | Type of Item | Notes on Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather balloons and radiosondes | ||||
| United States | 1967-11-06 | Cape Canaveral FL (machine cancel) | (Orbit Covers) cachet on ATS-3 launch cover | "Omega signals" being tested for radiosonde balloon navigation as part of the "OPLE7" program |
| United States | 1967-11-06 | Cape Canaveral FL (hand cancel) | (Orbit Covers) cachet on ATS-3 launch cover | |
| United States | 1969-08-12 | Cape Canaveral FL (hand cancel) | (Orbit Covers, no logo) cachet on ATS-5 launch cover | "Omega signals" being tested for radiosonde balloon navigation as part of the "OPLE7" program |
| United States | 1969-08-12 | Cape Canaveral FL (machine cancel) | (Orbit Covers, no logo) cachet on ATS-5 launch cover | |
| Australia | 1971-10-12 | Woomera SA | Cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | "Met[eo] balloon ceiling" (i.e. highest level typically reached by radiosonde balloons) (in text) |
| United States | 1974-11-01 | Las Cruces NM | (Szostek/WSMR Cover no.36) cachet on cover | Da Vinci-1 balloon flight9 |
| United States | 1974-11-01 1974-11-02 | Las Cruces NM Wagon Mound NM | (Cyan and yellow printed) cachet (and signatures) on (airmail) cover | Da Vinci-1 balloon flight9 |
| United States | 1976-06-08 1976-06-09 | Chesterfield MO Griffin IN | (Purple and red and black printed) cachet (and signatures) on (airmail) cover | Da Vinci-2 balloon flight9 |
| Ozonesondes (ozone sounding balloons) | ||||
| United States | 1975-07-18 | Palestine TX | (Riser pink and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "measurement of ozone concentration" |
| Germany | 1994-11-10 | Bonn | (Red and blue and green printed) cachet on (airmail) cover | "Ozonesonde" stratospheric balloon mission to obtain observations to validate remote-sensing data obtained by the "CRISTA-SPAS"-1 satellite during the "STS-66" mission (the balloon reached "34,771 m") |
| Isentropic balloons2 | ||||
| United States | 1971-08-16 | Wallops Island VA | (Space Voyage) cachet on Éole launch cover, also insert | Earth as symbolic Éole-program1 balloon; "The mission of Éole is to collect information on winds, temperatures and pressures from instrumented balloons flying at an altitude of about 39,000 feet (11,850 meters) in the Southern Hemisphere" (in insert text) |
| United States | 1971-08-16 | Wallops Island VA | (Orbit Covers) cachet on Éole launch cover | Thirteen (13) Éole-program1 balloons |
| United States | 1971-08-16 | Wallops Island VA | (Sarzin) cachet on Éole launch cover | Thirteen (13) Éole-program1 balloons |
| United States | 1971-08-16 | Wallops Island VA | (Solar Covers no.27) cachet on Éole launch cover, also insert | "To collect meteorological information from 500 [isentropic] balloons floating freely in the southern hemisphere" |
| United States | 1971-08-16 | Wallops Island VA | (Riser/Andromeda/Cygnus Cover no.5) insert1 from Éole launch (airmail) cover, also insert2 and front | collects and transmits "meteorological data stored in [isentropic] balloons" |
| Australia | 1973-03-02 | Mildura VIC | (Blue and black printed) cachet on cover | recovery of Boomerang-18 isentropic balloon launched 24 January 1973 |
| Australia | 1973-03-02 | Mildura VIC | (Cyan and purple printed) cachet on cover | |
| French Guiana | 1974-02-13 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on launch cover | Isentrope-1 balloon |
| French Guiana | 1974-02-22 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | Isentrope-2 balloon |
| French Guiana | 1974-02-22 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet (different) on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | |
| French Guiana | 1974-02-27 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | Isentrope-3 balloon |
| French Guiana | 1974-09-04 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | Isentrope-4 balloon |
| French Guiana | 1974-09-04 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet (different) on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | |
| United States | 1974-05-17 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit Covers) cachet on SMS-1 launch cover | "On radio command from the ground ..., balloon drops sonde to measure local weather, relaying data via balloon and satellite" |
| French Guiana | 1974-09-25 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on launch cover | Isentrope-5 balloon |
| French Guiana | 1974-09-25 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet (different) on launch cover | Isentrope-5 balloon |
| French Guiana | 1974-10-02 | Kourou | (Lollini silk) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | "Campagne internationale ballons"; also the "SMS" satellite used for data relay |
| French Guiana | 1974-10-02 | Kourou | (Lollini green and brown printed) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | |
| French Guiana | 1974-10-16 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | "Campagne internationale ballons"; also the "SMS" satellite used for data relay |
| French Guiana | 1974-10-30 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | "Campagne internationale ballons" (in text only); also an incorrect drawing of the "SMS" satellite used for data relay |
| United States | 1975-02-06 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit Covers) cachet on SMS-2 launch cover | "On radio command from the ground ..., balloon drops sonde to measure local weather, relaying data via balloon and satellite" |
| French Guiana | 1975-10-03 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on cover | Program of 13 CBS4 missions, from 7 July 1974 to 6 November 1975 (including one launch on 3 October 1975, the date of these covers) |
| French Guiana | 1975-10-03 | Kourou | (CPK) cachet on cover | |
| United States | 1975-10-16 | Kourou | (Lollini silk) cachet on GOES-1 launch cover | "Campagne internationale ballons"; also the SMS satellite used for data relay |
| United States | 1975-10-16 | Kourou | (Lollini silk) cachet on GOES-1 launch cover (different) | |
| United States | 1977-06-16 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit Covers) cachet on GOES-2 launch cover | Isentropic balloon probably used for data relay in the GOES data collection system |
| United States | 1978-06-16 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit Covers) cachet on GOES-3 launch cover | Isentropic balloon probably used for data relay in the GOES data collection system |
| Un-manned stratospheric balloons (scientific, but non-isentropic) | ||||
| (Selected) launch covers depicting or referring to stratospheric balloons. No attempt is made to be complete. Additional stratospheric balloon items can be found associated with Viking pre-launch, Pioneer-12/13 pre-launch, Galileo pre-launch, and COS-B pre-launch events. | ||||
| United States | 1962-12-13 | Holloman AFB, NM | (SpaceCraft) cachet on cover, also insert | "Stargazer" stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1963-03-01 | Palestine TX | (Zaso black-and-white sticker) cachet on cover | Stratoscope-II balloon launch (the first successful mission after a failed test in December 1962). The goal was to obtain information on water vapour and CO2 in the Martian atmosphere through IR spectroscopic measurements made from the balloon at an altitude of 80,000 feet (~24 km). |
| United States | 1963-03-01 | Palestine TX | (Goldcraft Cachets) cachet on cover | |
| United States | 1963-03-01 | Palestine TX | (Red printed) cachet (NCAR common design3 no.5) on cover | |
| United States | 1963-03-01 1964-11-05 | Palestine TX Satellite Beach FL | (Rank velvet, brown printing) cachet on cover | Stratoscope-II balloon launch (the first successful mission after a failed test in December 1962). The goal was to obtain information on water vapour and CO2 in the Martian atmosphere through IR spectroscopic measurements made from the balloon at an altitude of 80,000 feet (~24 km). Mariner-3 launch |
| United States | 1963-03-01 1964-11-05 | Palestine TX Satellite Beach FL | (Rank velvet, green printing) cachet on cover | |
| United States | 1963-03-01 1964-11-28 | Palestine TX Satellite Beach FL | (Rank velvet) cachet on cover | Stratoscope-II balloon launch (the first successful mission after a failed test in December 1962). The goal was to obtain information on water vapour and CO2 in the Martian atmosphere through IR spectroscopic measurements made from the balloon at an altitude of 80,000 feet (~24 km). Mariner-4 launch |
| United States | 1963-03-01 1964-11-28 | Palestine TX Satellite Beach FL | (Rank velvet) cachet (different) on cover | |
| United States | 1963-08-13 | Palestine TX | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet (NCAR common design3 no.5) on (airmail) cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1964-09-11 | Palestine TX | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet (NCAR common design3 no.5) on (airmail) cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: SIRS (Satellite Infrared Radiometer Spectrometer) data calibration mission |
| United States | 1967-07-15 | Palestine TX | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet (NCAR common design3 no.1) on (airmail) cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1967-08-29 | Palestine TX | (Blue rubber-stamp) cachet (NCAR common design3 no.1) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "flight to measure gamma radiation" |
| United States | 1968-06-27 | Palestine TX | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet (NCAR common design3 no.1) on (airmail) cover | Two stratospheric balloon launches (one for atmospheric measurements, the other for astronomical measurements) |
| Australia | 1969-04-24 | Mildura VIC | (Magenta and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Australia common design11 no.4) on (airmail) cover | stratospheric balloon launches, 17-24 April 1969 |
| Australia | 1969-04-28 | Glenelg SA | (Brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.3) on (airmail) cover | stratospheric balloon launches |
| Australia | 1969-04-28 | Glenelg SA | (Cyan and magenta rubber-stamp) cachet (Australia common design11 no.4) on (airmail) cover | |
| Australia | 1969-05-02 | Mildura VIC | (Brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1969-05-02 | Mildura VIC | (Magenta and green rubber-stamp) cachet (Australia common design11 no.4) on cover | |
| Australia | 1969-05-03 | Glenelg SA | (Brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.3) on (airmail) cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1969-05-03 | Glenelg SA | (Blue rubber-stamp) cachet (Australia common design11 no.4) on cover | |
| Australia | 1969-10-23 | Mildura VIC | (Brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1969-10-23 | Mildura VIC | (Red-brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.3, slightly different) on cover | |
| United States | 1970-03-26 | Palestine TX | (Riser/Andromeda Cover no.7) cachet on (airmail) cover, also insert | Stratoscope-II balloon launch |
| United States | 1970-03-26 | Palestine TX | (Riser/Andromeda Cover no.7) cachet (and signature) on (airmail) cover, also insert | |
| United States | 1970-10-20 | Palestine TX | (Riser magenta and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1971-01-19 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan and red rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "To test an Omega radio dropsonde wind measurement system" |
| United States | 1971-02-13 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "measure gamma radiation" |
| United States | 1971-05-13 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan and red rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1971-05-25 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan and magenta rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission to measure neutrons produced during solar flares |
| United States | 1971-08-07 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan and black and red rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1971-09-10 | Huntsville AL | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover, also insert | Stratoscope-II balloon launch (1971 was the last year of use of this balloon) |
| United States | 1971-09-10 | Huntsville AL | (Centennial) cachet on cover | Stratoscope-II balloon launch (1971 was the last year of use of this balloon) |
| Australia | 1971-09-17 | Mildura VIC | (Purple and pink printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1971-09-25 | Mildura VIC | (Blue and brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1971-09-28 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan and magenta rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "measuring the energy spectra in cosmic rays" |
| Australia | 1971-10-13 | Mildura VIC | (Magenta and green printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: Ash Can10 mission |
| Australia | 1972-04-05 | Alice Springs NT | (Brown and green printed) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: X-ray study |
| United States | 1972-04-15 | Palestine TX | (Riser purple and cyan rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission to test the LCPS (Laser Cloud Particle Size Spectrometer), an instrument that was flown by the Pioneer-Venus missions in 1978 |
| United States | 1972-05-03 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan-grey and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: BUSS (Balloon-Borne UV Stellar Spectrometer) |
| United States | 1972-06-23 | Palestine TX | (Riser magenta and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: astronomy mission |
| United States | 1972-08-11 | Palestine TX | (Riser magenta and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "Observing the infrared solar radiation above [a large part of] the Earth's atmosphere" |
| Australia | 1972-08-24 | Mildura VIC | (Green and black printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "acoustic sounding" mission |
| Australia | 1972-09-28 | Mildura VIC | (Brown and purple printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: astronomical study |
| United States | 1972-10-02 | Palestine TX | (Riser purple and cyan rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: MIT spectrometer to measure isotropic background radiation at 44 km altitude |
| United States | 1972-10-16 | Palestine TX | (Riser blue rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: optical atmospheric properties mission, using "the Nimbus satellite selective chopper radiometer" |
| Australia | 1972-10-19 | Mildura VIC | (Brown and green printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: Ash Can10 and "CSIRO5 radio physics" mission |
| Australia | 1972-11-17 | Longreach QLD | (Magenta and green printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: gamma ray study |
| Australia | 1972-12-04 | Longreach QLD | (Magenta and brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1973-01-16 | Mildura VIC | (Orange and purple printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.1) on cover | CSIRO5 Stratospheric balloon launch: cloud physics and upper atmosphere water vapour research |
| United States | 1973-05-13 | Palestine TX | (Riser blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch (astronomical mission) |
| United States | 1973-05-14 | Palestine TX | (Riser red and purple rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch (astronomical mission) |
| United States | 1973-05-29 | Palestine TX | (Red and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF, but not a common design) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission to "measure cosmic particles" |
| Australia | 1973-08-10 | Mildura VIC | (Red-brown and brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.1) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: acoustic sounder for temperature inversion observations |
| United States | 1973-09-09 | Palestine TX | (Riser yellow and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "atmospheric composition studies: NCAR system collects eight 4-liter air samples" |
| United States | 1973-09-28 | Palestine TX | (Blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: Max Planck Institute galactic gamma-ray experiment |
| United States | 1973-10-13 | Sioux City IA | (ESTEC Philatelic Club) cachet on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1973-11-06 | Longreach QLD | (Blue and magenta printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.1) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: stratospheric CO2, water vapor, and dust sampling |
| Australia | 1973-11-06 | Longreach QLD | (Blue and red printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: stratospheric CO2, water vapor, and dust sampling |
| French Guiana | 1973-11-28 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on cover | Program Essor stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1974-01-12 | Palestine TX | (Blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1974-01-22 | Mildura VIC | (Red and brown printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.1) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: Ash Can10 mission |
| Australia | 1974-02-05 | Mildura VIC | (Green and red printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: stratospheric CO2, water vapour and dust sampling |
| United States | 1974-02-25 | Palestine TX | (Blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on (airmail) cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1974-04-25 | Palestine TX | (Green printed and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1974-07-24 | Palestine TX | (Purple and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "gamma ray experiment" |
| United States | 1974-09-04 | Palestine TX | (Multi-color rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.4) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "test flight of Carrier Balloon System4, six dropsondes will be released" |
| United States | 1974-09-23 | Palestine TX | (Multi-color rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.4) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "to measure thermal emissions of the atmosphere using a Michelson interferometer" |
| United States | 1974-10-09 | Palestine TX | (Multi-color rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.4) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: Univ. of Liege high-resolution spectrometer to measure solar IR radiation |
| United States | 1974-10-11 | Palestine TX | (Multi-color rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.4) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "UV spectrograph to photograph interstellar and stellar sources" |
| United States | 1974-11-25 | Palestine TX | (Red and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "to measure stratospheric species" |
| United States | 1974-12-17 | Palestine TX | (Red rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon test flight of "gamma-ray telescope for HEAO-A (not "HEAD-A", as in text) satellite" |
| United States | 1975-03-25 | Palestine TX | (Black and red rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: telescope to measure galactic IR radiation |
| United States | 1975-05-17 | Palestine TX | (Riser blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission with "spectrograph for solar observations" |
| United States | 1975-06-06 | Palestine TX | (Riser blue and red rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric ballon mission to collect data to be used in a "sunlight intensity reference standard" |
| United States | 1975-06-11 | Palestine TX | (Multi-color rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.4) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "far-infrared experiment for galactic and extra-galactic sources" |
| United States | 1975-06-13 | Palestine TX | (Riser pink and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| United States | 1975-06-27 | Palestine TX | (Riser purple and black rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission to collect data to be used in a "sunlight intensity reference standard" |
| United States | 1975-10-27 | Palestine TX | (Black and red rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "to measure spectrum & resolution of gamma ray bursts" |
| Australia | 1975-11-11 | Alice Springs NT | (Grey-green and blue printed) cachet (Australia common design11 no.1) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: gamma ray telescope |
| Australia | 1975-11-24 | Alice Springs NT | (Green and red printed) cachet (Australia common design11no.1) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: gamma ray spectrometer |
| United States | 1976-05-02 | Palestine TX | (Blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: Max Planck Institute experiment to observe extra-solar X-ray sources |
| United States | 1976-05-20 | Palestine TX | (Riser green and magenta rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon cosmic rays study |
| United States | 1976-09-24 | Palestine TX | (Riser green and red rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "spectroradiometer to measure Sun spectral distribution" |
| United States | 1976-09-28 | WSMR, NM | (Boudwin? blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover | StratCom6 VII stratospheric balloon launch: "study composition and thermodynamics of [the] upper atmosphere" |
| United States | 1976-09-28 | WSMR, NM | (Swanson blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet (design based on Spacecraft Type-C general-purpose cachet) on (airmail) cover | |
| United States | 1976-10-02 | Palestine TX | (Riser green and orange rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "to measure the impact [on the atmosphere] of [man-made] gases such as effluents, S.S. [Space Shuttle] exhaust & propellants" |
| United States | 1976-10-13 | Palestine TX | (Red and black rubber-stamp) cachet(NSBF common design3 no.2) on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "investigation of solar corona in the near infrared" |
| Australia | 1977-07-06 | Mildura VIC | (Blue rubber-stamp and red hand-printed) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon (launched on 1 July); probably carried an aerosol counter to measure the concentration and size distribution of stratospheric aerosols |
| United States | 1977-09-28 | WSMR, NM | (Blue and black rubber-stamp) cachet on (airmail) cover | StratCom6 VIII-B stratospheric balloon launch: "study of [the] photochemistry of [the] stratosphere" (this was the last launch in the StratCom series) |
| United States | 1978-04-26 | Palestine TX | (ESPA/AEPS) cachet on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1979-05-16 | Mildura VIC | (Black rubber-stamp and hand-written) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission to study the trace gas and particulate composition of the southern hemisphere stratosphere. Data were used to validate theoretical models of stratospheric composition and chemistry and as ground truth for the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) aboard the AEM-B (Explorer-60) satellite. |
| United States | 1979-09-03 | Palestine TX | (ESPA/AEPS) cachet on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 1979-09-19 | Mildura VIC | (Black rubber-stamp and hand-printed) cachet on (airmail) cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: an IR radiometer that measured the radiation from water vapor in order to deduce the water vapor content of the stratosphere. |
| United States | 1980-10-23 | Palestine TX | (ESPA/AEPS) cachet on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| South Africa | 1981-07-31 | Pretoria | (CNES) cachet on cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| South Africa | 1981-09-15 | Pretoria | (Lollini) cachet on cover | stratospheric balloon launch; also Argos |
| United States | 1981-09-21 | Palestine TX | (ESPA/AEPS) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission with cryogenic air sampler for measurement of trace gases |
| Germany | 1994-11-10 | Bonn | (Red and blue and green printed) cachet on (airmail) cover | "Ozonesonde" stratospheric balloon launch: mission to obtain observations to validate remote-sensing data obtained by the "CRISTA-SPAS"-1 satellite during the "STS-66" mission (the balloon reached "34,771 m") |
| United States | 1997-08-01 | Wallops Island VA | (DuBeau black rubber-stamp) cachet on (airmail) cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "ozone and atmospheric measurements" |
| United States | 1999-07-04 | Wallops Island VA | (T. Chamberlain) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | stratospheric balloon launch |
| Australia | 2017-04-04 | Alice Springs NT | (La Marianne/Astrophil) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: atmospheric physics and chemistry mission |
| Australia | 2017-04-04 | Alice Springs NT | (La Marianne/Astrophil and blue rubber-stamp) cachet (and signature) on cover | |
| United States | 2017-08-21 | Glendo WY | (Multi-color printed) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: mission to "observe [the solar] eclipse and test bacterial growth under Mars-like conditions" |
| United States | 2017-08-21 | Russellville KS | (Multi-color printed) cachet on cover | |
| United States | 2017-08-21 | Mitchell NE | (Multi-color printed) cachet on cover | |
| United States | 2017-08-21 | Dawson Springs KY | (Multi-color printed) cachet on cover | |
| United States | 2021-10-19 | Madras OR | (Australian strato-balloon no.1) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch; carried the NASA "STV-2 (Sub-orbital Test Vehicle 2)" which was released at 32.6 km altitude and using its "guided parafoil" glided to its "predetermined landing site" |
| Dropsondes | ||||
| United States | 1971-01-19 | Palestine TX | (Riser cyan and red rubber-stamp) cachet (Riser common design3 no.3) on cover | "To test an Omega radio dropsonde wind measurement system" |
| United States | 1972-03-20 | Wallops Island VA | (Sarzin) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | "Radiosonde type ejected at apogee and descend by parachutes" (i.e. rocket-released dropsondes) |
| United States | 1974-05-17 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit Covers) cachet on SMS-1 launch cover | "On radio command from the ground via ... satellite, balloon drops sonde to measure local weather, relaying data via balloon and satellite" |
| United States | 1974-09-04 | Palestine TX | (Multi-color rubber-stamp) cachet (NSBF common design3 no.4) on stratospheric balloon launch cover | Stratospheric balloon launch: "test flight of Carrier Balloon System4, six dropsondes will be released" |
| United States | 1975-02-06 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit Covers) cachet on SMS-2 launch cover | "On radio command from the ground via ... satellite, balloon drops sonde to measure local weather, relaying data via balloon and satellite" |
| French Guiana | 1975-10-03 | Kourou | (Lollini) cachet on cover | Program of 13 CBS4 missions, from 7 July 1974 to 6 November 1975 (including one launch on 3 October 1975, the date of these covers); each Carrier Balloon had 64 dropsondes that could be released by a radio command |
| French Guiana | 1975-10-03 | Kourou | (CPK) cachet on cover | |
| United States | 1975-10-16 | Kourou | (Lollini silk) cachet on GOES-1 launch cover | Dropsonde released from the isentropic balloon and descending by parachute |
| Japan | 1987-09-09 | Uchinoura | (Space Voyage) cachet on (sub-orbital) rocket launch cover | "All rockets dropped parachutes [with instruments] that measured temperatures and wind velocity and direction" |
1The Éole program used a large number of instrumented long flight-time southern hemispheric Earth-circling constant-density (isentropic) balloons, launched from different locations in Argentina and tracked by the French Éole satellites. The balloons floated with the wind in the stratosphere at approximately 200 hPa and so provided estimates of the horizontal wind at that level, as well as other meteorological data. A total of 480 balloons were available, and the first launches took place in August 1971. By November 1971, 280 Éole program balloons were operating simultaneously in a random distribution over the southern hemisphere outside of the tropics. They had a design lifetime of one year (but the actual mean balloon lifetime turned out to be 103 days), so the program continued through 1972, though with fewer and fewer balloons as they were lost due to balloon icing and the failure of the electronic package.
2Isentropic balloons are designed to float for long periods of time at constant-density levels which are also approximate constant-altitude levels. Some research programs using them were conducted in the 1960s and 1970s. The balloons were generally designed to float with the winds in the stratosphere, but could be used in the troposphere as well. One example of a stratospheric isentropic balloons program is the Éole program, described in footnote 1 above. In these programs, meteorological data and the balloons' positions were transmitted to a ground station via a satellite such as the French Éole satellite.
3Palestine TX (National Scientific Balloon Facility (NSBF)) stratospheric balloon launch covers are of the following common designs (NCAR, no.1; NSBF, no.2; Riser, no.3; NSBF, no.4; and NCAR, no.5) that represent most, if not all, covers produced.
4The Carrier Balloon System (CBS) was a particular type of stratospheric balloon with instruments that provided vertical profiles of wind, temperature and humidity in the tropical upper atmosphere. In addition, some missions observed solar radiation and the radiation budget. Each balloon carried 64 Omega dropsondes, which were released from approximately 24 km and made measurements as they fell. Thirteen such balloons were launched from Kourou, French Guiana in 1974 and 1975. They floated in the tropical stratosphere for relatively long periods of time (from 18 to 84 days, with a mean time of 37 days). The dropsondes were released upon command from the control centre.
5CSIRO is the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (Australia's national science agency)
6StratCom (Stratospheric Composition) was a long-term, multi-purpose program for integrated, correlated measurements of parameters related to the composition, thermodynamics, and radiative balance of the stratosphere. It was a joint undertaking of several laboratories whose combined scientific, engineering, and field capabilities made possible an extensive program of multiple related measurements in the complex and variable stratosphere. The program was started in 1968 by the US Army's Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory (ASL), under the direction of Harold N. Ballard. Starting from the third mission in 1972, the program progressively incorporated other research institutions. The StratCom program ended in 1977.
7The ATS-3 Omega Position and Location Equipment (OPLE) experiment was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of using the Navy's Omega navigation system in conjunction with a synchronous satellite to establish an operational global location and data collection system. Planned primarily for navigation and meteorological purposes, the OPLE collected and retransmitted meteorological and geophysical data from remote unmanned data collection stations. The experiment was also designed to locate and track the movement of platforms such as balloons, aircraft, and ships to within 2 km (daytime) and 4 km (nighttime). The OPLE served as a forerunner of the more sophisticated platform data collection experiments flown on Nimbus-3 and 4. That later system, known as the IRLS (Interrogation, Recording and Location System" is explicitly referred to in this Nimbus-3 launch cover and this Nimbus-4 launch cover. The IRLS in turn was a precursor of the Argos Data Collection System.
8Boomerang-1 was an isentropic research balloon that circled the world twice in 36 days at an altitude of 24.4 km (80,000 feet). It was launched from and recovered in Australia. It carried a 41 kg payload of cosmic ray detectors, biological specimens (to study the effects of cosmic rays on corn seedlings and other plants) and micrometeorite detectors. The project was conducted by NCAR (the National Center for Atmospheric Research) of Boulder CO, USA. A second Boomerang mission was also undertaken at about the same time.
9In the 1970s, four special balloon flights, Da Vinci-1 to -4, were organized by the aeronaut and artist Vera Simons. She designed them to combine science and art. Simons worked with Dr. Rudolf J. Englemann, a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) scientist and former Air Force meteorologist who was a specialist on the transport of low-level atmospheric pollutants. Simons planned to use the unique perspective from a balloon to gather landscape and cloud images that would be used in producing works of art. Englemann assembled a package of scientific experiments from 25 universities. Funding for the Da Vinci project came from the National Geographic Society, the Atomic Energy Commission, some private companies, and NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). The first flight took place in 1974 in New Mexico and collected data on atmospheric temperature and winds. In the summer of 1976 the second flight, from St. Louis, MO, to Griffin, IN, gathered data on the atmospheric mixing and diffusion and transport of urban air pollutants. The third flight, with similar goals, was also launched from St. Louis. The fourth flight, known as Da Vinci Transamerica, was launched from Oregon in 1979 and emphasized the artistic elements of the program along with the new goal of reaching Norfolk, VA in a trans-continental flight. It carried Simons, Engelmann, flight surgeon Fred Hyde and NBC cameraman Randy Birch (who did recordings for the Today Show) eastward. Though a storm forced it to land in northwestern Ohio, it nevertheless established a new ballooning overland distance record of 3223 km.
10The atmospheric nuclear tests of the 1950s and 1960s sent radioactivity into the stratosphere, but little was known about its characteristics. Instrumented aircraft could not reach the required altitudes. In 1960, Australia and the United States agreed in secret to a joint program to monitor that radiation using instruments lifted into the stratosphere by large balloons launched from Mildura, Victoria. The operational agencies were the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Australian Department of Supply. The program was known as HIBAL (possibly an acronym for HIgh Altitude BALloons) and its operational component was called Project "Ash Can". In the early 1950s, General Mills Inc. had developed a high-altitude balloon-borne filter system, contained in a canister, capable of making the required measurements. Because of its size and shape, as in these photographs, it was nicknamed the "Ash Can". Project Ash Can flights took place in Australia from late 1960 through to around 1974, and many launch covers were created for them. Some include a cachet depiction like this, which features a payload image described in the cachet text as a "Typical Payload". In it, the Ash Can canister is visible, mounted on the upper part of the payload. Some flights were Ash Can-only missions. Here is an example. Others included supplementary scientific packages that were piggybacked onto the Ash Can payload. For example, this cover specifies that the mission was a "Sampling Flight for [the] A.E.C. (U.S.A.)" (i.e. it was an Ash Can mission) and also carried "Piggyback Experiments [for the] CSIRO5 Radio Physics Dept." Still others were independent missions, not related to project Ash Can, but some of their launch covers nevertheless use that same "Typical Payload" cachet that includes the Ash Can canister. Here is an example.
11Many Australian stratospheric balloon launch covers (from Mildura VIC, Alice Springs NT, Longreach QLD, and Glenelg SA) are of the following common designs (no.1; no.2, no.3; and no.4) with varying colors.
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