Patent ID: 7611092

Claim:
An environmental monitoring system comprising: (a) a daytime and nighttime operating lighter-than-air platform having a data acquisition means, a remote controlled flight system and a telecommunications device for transmitting data from said data acquisition means; (b) an electrical power system for powering said daytime and nighttime operating lighter-than-air platform, said electrical power system having a solar cell panel to acquire electrical power and batteries or fuel cells to provide electrical power and means to provide electrical power data to said data acquisition means; (c) a weather data acquisition device disposed on said lighter-than-air platform providing weather data including wind conditions and barometric pressure to said data acquisition means at a particular low level location where said daytime and nighttime lighter-than-air platform is deployed in the lower atmosphere; (d) a telecommunications station disposed at a location remote from said daytime and nighttime operating lighter-than-air platform communicating with said telecommunications device and transmitting data received from said data acquisition means; (e) a computer at a remote location from said lighter-than-air platform for processing data received from said telecommunications station; and (f) a remote control station disposed at a location remote from said daytime and nighttime operating lighter-than-air platform to operate said remote controlled flight system in said lighter-than-air platform in response to said weather data and available electrical power data wherein said remote controlled flight system is not operated by an autonomous or a semi autonomous means.