The Airship Z-Prize

The zero emissions solar powered blimp Nephelios is preparing for a crossing of the English Channel this summer and the two videos in this post are of some initial flights of the blimp Nephelios as it prepares for this epic and important flight. The original flight was scheduled for the Summer of 2009 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Louis Bleriot’s historic crossing of the Channel in an airplane. Solar powered blimp Nephelios prepares for Channel crossing

From ABC WTVG Toledo: “A new company that will build giant airships is getting off the ground here and it could mean hundreds of jobs!The company is called Ohio Airships and it’s built a prototype of what’s called a Dynalifter aircraft. Right now employees are working on the prototype at Toledo Express Airport. The full scale models will be capable of hauling incredible amounts of cargo.” (more…)

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI), a developer of state of the art flexible thin-film solar modules, announced today that SkySentry, a high altitude vehicle developer headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, received their first flexible CIGS PV array for an upcoming aerostat test in Sandusky, Ohio, scheduled for mid-September, 2009. The aerostat is part of Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s High Altitude, Long-Endurance Testbed. (more…)

A German-American venture says it is now days from the maiden flight of its 111-foot long, tadpole-esque “segmented” drone airship. The STS-111 “Stratellite”, produced by Sanswire of Florida and TAO Technologies GmbH of Stuttgart, has now been assembled at the firm’s German test centre. According to a Sanswire-TAO announcement issued yesterday, “the first flight of the full scale STS-111 is expected to take place at the end of August”. The test video below shows a smaller prototype Unmanned German sperm dirigible ‘to fly within days’

SAIC and ZLT Zeppelin to Develop New Pilot-Optional Airships and Market Mutual LTA Product Lines Introduction – Airships are a proven, highly effective, but relatively little-used aerial platform for important applications such as persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); national security; and support for deployed troops. (more…)

From Kent News: “This unusual looking aircraft is set to be the first solar-powered airship to cross the English Channel from France to Kent. Forward thrust is provided by two large propellers, while lift is taken care of by the massive helium filled tube. And it will get all its power directly and exclusively by the sun. Rays will be captured by a spine of flexible solar panels running down the middle of the balloon.” (more…)

From sun-sentinel.com: “A tubby, slow-moving airship ascended over South Florida to track tubby, slow-moving marine mammals as state biologists rode the Goodyear blimp to count manatees. The 192-foot Goodyear-Zeppelin Spirit of Innovation lifted off from Pompano Beach on a mission to assess the manatee population of Palm Beach County, taking advantage of the cold weather that drives manatees to a few well-known warm spots.
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From NYTimes.com: “Imagine gliding in a floating hotel over the Serengeti, gazing down at herds of zebra or elephants; or floating over Paris as the sun sets and lights blink on across the city as you pass the Eiffel Tower. Such flights of fancy may one day be possible, if the dream of Jean-Marie Massaud, a French architect, comes true. As the cost of fuel soars and the pressure mounts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, several schemes for a new generation of airship are being considered by governments and private companies. “It’s a romantic project,” said Mr. Massaud, 45, sitting amid furniture designs in his Paris studio, “but then look at Jules Verne.””
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Over the last couple of years my interest and excitment around the concept of reviving and renewing airship transport technology of the blimp or zeppelin variety has been growing steadily. Today I’m now utterly convinced these massive dinosaurs of the sky from the early 1900s actually have the potential to re-emerge and change our world for the better. (more…)