Lokheed Martin is currently developing a high-altitude, solar-powered airship for the Missile Defense Agency (aka "Son of Star Wars") for surveillance and communication purposes. Doesn't that sound familiar? Why, it's just the same concept touted by Sky Station International Inc. (headed by a certain Gen. Alexander "I'm in charge here!" Haig) during the Internet bubble years as the broadband provider of the future! Nowadays, Sky Station is only a memory in the vaults of the Internet Archive and a few long-abandoned patent applications but it is interesting to notice that Lockheed Martin apparently was the designated end-to-end system integrator for Sky Station (you'll need to scroll down that text to reach the relevant passage)...
posted by Skeptic on Jun 25, 2006 - 9 comments

Larry's U.S. Navy Airship Picture Book. No longer available in paper, but still with us in bits. Lawrence F. Rodrigues served in the Navy, in Airship Squadron 3, out of Lakehurst NAS, beginning in 1953. This website presents photos and memories of his service days. It's fascinating.

As a bonus, you may wish to read up on the Details of Modern Airship Construction, ca. 1927, or to return to Dannysoar's site to observe the plans for a twelve-foot model helium-lofted rubber-band powered flying stick-and-tissue dirigible (scroll down a bit).

Up Ship!

didn't someone end a post with those words this year? Google didn't raise hide nor hair of it for me...
posted by mwhybark on Jul 4, 2004 - 3 comments

The Horror of Blimps. This is just a short ROTFL funny story about a toy blimp gone bad. Brightened my day, anyway. (Thanks, Ken.)
posted by tbc on Apr 21, 2004 - 16 comments

Radio-controlled blimp: harmless toy, or minion of evil? Read the story, then decide. Too bad Zany Brainyis going bankrupt.
posted by kewms on Feb 27, 2003 - 32 comments

Boeing creates "flying machine" called a "Blimp." They say it will be used for homeland defense. Ha. I doubt they can get it off the ground. Blimp - what hogwash, indeed.
posted by password on May 3, 2002 - 11 comments

NASA proposes visit to Saturn's moons via blimp. Native Titans debunk UFO as weather balloon. More space balloons here. (via robotwisdom)
posted by skallas on Jul 1, 2001 - 1 comment

"I knew lots of rednecks that had taken potshots at the [Goodyear] blimp."
posted by holloway on Apr 29, 2001 - 9 comments