MetaFilter posts tagged with blimps

Back to the future

Skeptic — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 15:36:21 -0800

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)...

...we could handle a shark easily...

mwhybark — Sun, 04 Jul 2004 20:59:35 -0800

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...

Blimp Story

tbc — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 15:52:06 -0800

The Horror of Blimps. This is just a short ROTFL funny story about a toy blimp gone bad. Brightened my day, anyway. (Thanks, Ken.)

Blimp assaults sleeping homeowner

kewms — Thu, 27 Feb 2003 14:28:25 -0800

Radio-controlled blimp: harmless toy, or minion of evil? Read the story, then decide. Too bad Zany Brainyis going bankrupt.

password — Fri, 03 May 2002 09:50:30 -0800

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.

skallas — Sun, 01 Jul 2001 18:32:02 -0800

NASA proposes visit to Saturn's moons via blimp. Native Titans debunk UFO as weather balloon. More space balloons here. (via robotwisdom)

holloway — Sun, 29 Apr 2001 18:29:05 -0800

"I knew lots of rednecks that had taken potshots at the [Goodyear] blimp."