Scientists sail robotic surfboard into maw of strongest storm on earth; capture “unprecedented footage” of fifty-foot waves from inside hurricane!

The video captured is as ominous as it is oppressive, like a cartoon Mount Everest coming to life. 

A robotic surfboard has been successfully navigated into the eye of what is, right now, the most powerful storm on earth, category 4 Hurricane Sam.

Scientists with Saildrone and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) worked together in piloting the drone surfboard just northeast of the eye of the big blow.

The video captured is as ominous as it is oppressive: waves, wind and a grim sky that resembles some cartoonish manifestation of Mount Everest coming to life. 

“Saildrone is going where no research vessel has ever ventured, sailing right into the eye of the hurricane, gathering data that will transform our understanding of these powerful storms,” said the company’s founder Rich Jenkins.

From the NOAA,

Equipped with a specially designed “hurricane wing,” enabling it to operate in extreme wind conditions, SD 1045 is braving Hurricane Sam in the open ocean, collecting real-time observations for numerical hurricane prediction models, which are expected to yield new insights into how large and destructive tropical cyclones grow and intensify.

SD 1045 is one of a fleet of five ‘hurricane’ Saildrones that have been operating in the Atlantic Ocean during hurricane season, gathering data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes. This knowledge is critical to improving storm forecasting and is expected to reduce loss of human life by allowing better preparedness in coastal communities.

Wild, yes?