VORTEX stands for Verification of the Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment. Conducted at the National Severe Storms Laboratory from 1994 to 1995, the project was led by Erik Rasmussen, and the goal was to conduct intense data gathering using weather balloons, air planes, turtles, and cars equipped with radars and taking photographs. The study focused on tornadoes formed in supercells and collected so much data that it took years to analyze it all.