>From: EvMick@aol.com>Subject: Technology: Rigid Airship
>Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 23:58:58 EDT
>
>It's amazing what calling something by the correct name will do for
>speeding
>up a search.
>
>The keyword here is "magnus effect" (learn something new ever day...and
>it's
>interesting that I found this little gem of info at a paintball
>site.......don't ask)
>
>There's a guy working on build one even....as mentioned at.. <A
>HREF="http://medusa.twinoaks.org/clubs/space_commune/minutes/seventeenth.htm">
>Minutes From The Seventeenth Meeting</A>
>
>Very interesting....
>
>I wonder what a one man design would look like?.....and the performance
>characteristics.......
>
>EvMick
>
Unfortunately, the "square/cube law" that works against you re heavier than
air flying things, works for you in much the same proportion re lighter than
air craft. I've often thought that you ought to be able to build a vacume
dirigible, using foamed metal or ceramic for the hull. The hull would be
very thick, but actually thin relative to the total size. If you built in
orbit and figured out how to get it down into the atmosphere, you could end
up with a permanent airostat with quite a lot of lift left over.
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