The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has shared what it says are the first images and video captured inside a hurricane by a surface drone. The agency placed the Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 in the path of the category-four Hurricane Sam. The saildrone overcame 50-foot waves and winds at speeds topping 120 miles per hour to capture data from the hurricane and offer a new perspective into such storms. The device has a special "hurricane wing" to help it survive the intense wind conditions. The SD 1045 is one of five saildrones that have been in the Atlantic Ocean during hurricane season.

NOAA and Saildrone Inc. are piloting five specially designed surface drones in the Atlantic Ocean to gather data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes. NOAA and Saildrone Inc. are piloting five specially designed surface drones in the Atlantic Ocean to gather data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes. Researchers for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have dispatched a surface drone inside Hurricane Sam as it barrels toward the Caribbean, giving scientists a new perspective of what it's like inside such a storm. The video and images shared were the first of their kind gathered by an "uncrewed surface vehicle" from inside a major hurricane as it moved across the Atlantic Ocean. The onboard camera shows eerily gray skies and turbulent ocean waters.