[LINK] Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study

[Craig Sanders]

On Wed, Feb 07, 2007 at 02:50:38PM +1100, grove at zeta.org.au wrote:
> I thought the Hindenburg covering was made from rubberised canvas and 
> sprayed with aluminium powder.   A very highly flammable combination!

i've read that too - apparently it was coated with something similar to
modern rocket fuels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_129_Hindenburg

> The only native supply of Hydrogen pre WW2 was some American region
> where it was vented from volcanic sources.  These days, Hydrogen
> can be extracted from sea water via electrolysis as a by product of
> desalination!

i think that's Helium you're thinking of, not Hydrogen.

and, IIRC, America still has the only large reserve of helium on the planet.

> I think with the new lightweight carbon-fibre and synthetic structures 
> we have today, a zeppelin type airship could be cheaply constructed,
> provisioned with hydrogen and fuel cells for propulsion.   A truly 
> green transport medium.
> 
> With airships, we could take most of the heavy freight off the roads, 
> automate their transport, have point to point delivery of goods 
> (Coles could have a landing pad on the roof of every supermarket!) 
> and it would be a cheap but gracefully slow method of air transport.

there was a company in germany, CargoLifter, a few years ago who tried
to revive airships...they were doing well for a while, then went bust.
i believe their airship construction hanger got coverted to an indoor
tropical holiday theme park or something like that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargolifter

see also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship

and, of course:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin


craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>

Currently listening to: Sugar - Waterfront

"There is no faith, however respectable, no interest, however
 legitimate, which must not accommodate itself to the progress
 of human knowledge and bend before truth."
                        [Paul Broca]