JETSON-LIKE COMMUNICATIONS AIRCRAFT

[Robin Whittle]

Ed Parsons wrote:

> I prefer the concept of the high altitude communications blimps
> which can float above cities for years, be easily retrieved for
> maintenance, cost nothing when compared to 'space birds' and don't
> have any of the dangers of rocket launching involved. 

See:

   http://www.skystation.com/

157 m long (515 feet) and 62 m (203 feet) in diameter at the widest 
point!  That's nearly as long as the biggest Zeppelins and a lot 
wider.  

I would be most impressed if they can get this to work.  Solar cells 
and fuel-cell storage light enough to be kept up by helium at a 22 km 
elevation with a 1 tonne telco payload - all kept in place with ion 
engines, which as far as I know, only work at very low air pressures. 
How then does it power itself up there?  Or down?

Several tonnes of stuff floating above a populated area, ready to be 
punctured by a meteor . . . get an insurance quote on that!

It has to cover a very large area, (19,000 square kilometers) with a 
supposedly small piece of microwave spectrum - only 300 MHz.  The 
spectrum can be re-used in different directions with direcational 
antennae of vertical and horizontal polarisations.

Get a quote on insurance against someone jamming the entire thing for 
a lark or for financial gain.

- Robin



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Robin Whittle     rw@firstpr.com.au  http://www.firstpr.com.au
                  Heidelberg Heights, Melbourne, Australia 

First Principles  Research and expression: music, Internet 
                  music marketing, telecommunications, human 
                  factors in technology adoption. Consumer 
                  advocacy in telecommunications, especially 
                  privacy. Consulting and technical writing. 

Real World        Electronics and software for music: eg.
Interfaces        the Devil Fish mods for the TB-303. 

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