World 1st achieved, drone captures wild video of inside Hurricane Sam

A team of researchers has achieved a world first by capturing the first footage of inside a Category 4 hurricane.

The footage has been released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and it shows the terrifying inside of Hurricane Sam that is currently causing havoc in the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers used a robotic surfboard that is called a Saildrone to capture the footage. In the below image, you can see that Saildrone has a thick surfboard as a base, a sail, and a camera arm.

The ocean craft measures at just 23 feet in length and features a "hurricane wing" that is designed to withstand the force of the elements. Saildrone is powered by solar and is designed to record important data such as wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, temperature, salinity, humidity, and more. According to NOAA scientist Greg Foltz, "We expect to improve forecast models that predict rapid intensification of hurricanes."

Adding that data provided by crafts such as Saildrone will help researchers improve upon current models. "Rapid intensification, when hurricane winds strengthen in a matter of hours, is a serious threat to coastal communities".

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