Sergey Brin's Zeppelin Pathfinder 1
Discussion
How did I not know of this? I must be slipping.
Google Billionaire building a modern Zeppelin.
BBC article (written by someone describing Helium as "less flammable than Hydrogen"...) has some detail and a Youtube video of it outside being tested.
Being a Zeppelin and Airship fan, it's good to see someone with the funds to finance a project like this. Up Ship!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250214-path...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0qk8uxZYjo
Google Billionaire building a modern Zeppelin.
BBC article (written by someone describing Helium as "less flammable than Hydrogen"...) has some detail and a Youtube video of it outside being tested.
Being a Zeppelin and Airship fan, it's good to see someone with the funds to finance a project like this. Up Ship!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250214-path...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0qk8uxZYjo
Whilst looking for buoyancy of helium vs hydrogen I found this: https://www.thecgo.org/benchmark/bring-back-hydrog...
Interesting.
One of the mistakes people make when calculating usable lift between H2 and He is that you need to compare displaced air by H2 or He, not the difference between the density of the two gasses, which means that He gives about 92% of the lift compared to H2.
One of the mistakes people make when calculating usable lift between H2 and He is that you need to compare displaced air by H2 or He, not the difference between the density of the two gasses, which means that He gives about 92% of the lift compared to H2.
Edited by Scotty2 on Sunday 16th February 14:23
dukeboy749r said:
Having not followed/seen any updates for a while, I am presuming that Airlander is finally dead in the water, so to speak?
You'd think so, but no!https://www.hybridairvehicles.com/the-times-aerial...
Nico Adie said:
Mr Pointy said:
What a waste of such a precious resouce; we can't make Helium & any that is released is lost forever.
Typical billionaire behaviour though - cf Starlink ruining the night sky for astromomers.
Agreed!Typical billionaire behaviour though - cf Starlink ruining the night sky for astromomers.
The interesting innovation potential for airships will be if someone can make carbon wrapped vessels strong enough to form an evacuated sphere - no gasses required. A few of those together and cover the thing in solar panels and you have a very economical way of moving about.
I always thought that most helium came from extracting it from natural gas? if it isn't extracted then it would be lost anyway.
Helium is also found in underground deposits due to radioactive decay of uranium, but this isn't used for practical purposes afaik.
Although it is the second most abundant element in the universe it is really rare on earth because it floats away into space.
Helium is also found in underground deposits due to radioactive decay of uranium, but this isn't used for practical purposes afaik.
Although it is the second most abundant element in the universe it is really rare on earth because it floats away into space.
We were in Florida last week, & saw Wingfoot 1, one of three that Goodyear operate, built by Zeppelin in 2013/14. Airships never went away, they just reached their market limit, as far as I can see: I'm not sure what ploughing more cash in to prove what we already know really achieves...
Boatbuoy said:
Very sceptical about Airlander. Breaks free from its mooring and is destroyed in November 2017, seven months later they leave Cardington and move to an office block (not too much hanger space there).What on earth have they been doing in the intervening six years to still be a viable company?
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