March 31 2014: SOMETHING ELSE TO WATCH OVER US (or do I mean watch us?)—AN AUTONOMOUS AIRSHIP THAT IS ON ITS WAY TO BEING A SATELLITE (only isn’t)

The government must give proper weight to both keeping America safe from terrorists and protecting Americans' privacy. But when Americans lack the most basic information about our domestic surveillance programs, they have no way of knowing whether we're getting that balance right. This lack of transparency is a big problem.

Al Franken

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Yes, I admit it. I’m fascinated by airships—and here is another one for us to admire.

Designed for high altitude observation, security, telecommunications, broadcasting and navigation, the StratoBus will be 70 to 100 meters long (230 to 328 ft), and 20 to 30 meters (66 to 98 ft) in width. Its envelope will be made mainly of UV-resistant woven carbon fiber, and its two fuel cell-powered prop motors will allow it to maintain its position, even when subjected to winds blowing at up to 90 km/h (56 mph). It's a planned autonomous airship that can be launched like a regular blimp, but that will be able to hover at an altitude of 20 km (12 miles). It is being developed by Thales Alenia Space.

But why not use a satellite? Well, satellites are horrifically expensive to launch into space ($10,000 a pound according to NASA)—and if something goes wrong—near impossible to repair at any reasonable cost. In contrast, the StratoBus can land itself and be repaired down here on earth by your local handyman (possibly a slight exaggeration)—and it will do all this without a crew so it will be relatively inexpensive to operate. Lifespan—about five years. Cost? No information as yet.

Here are a few more details from gizmag.com

The fuel cell will be located in its nacelle (the bottom part, that sits where the gondola would be on a manned airship), along with an electrolyzer for obtaining hydrogen from an onboard water supply, plus its communications and other electronics. Different nacelles will be swapped on and off of one airship body between missions, as each one will be specially outfitted for its intended purpose. Payloads of up to 200 lb (91 kg) will be possible.

The electrolyzer will be solar-powered. Sunlight will stream into the airship's "balloon" through a transparent section of the envelope, then reflect off an internal concentrating mirror, and onto a row of solar panels. That section will be able to stay aligned with the sun, as the balloon will rotate relative to the rest of the vehicle.

Ingenious! You know we humans screw up in a myriad of ways—but, at our best, we are impressive.

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