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As I am a big fan of airship technology, and would love to see a resurgence in the field, this article makes me hopeful for the future.

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Thompso ... a_999.html

That's awesome news.
And super ironic that nearly 100 years after they disappeared from the military they reappear. Who would have thought it.

How great an idea is that? And so simple, that it fell under the radar for so long. It's like "the purloined letter" of military thinking.

There was a piece in the paper this week that (very expensive) tourist airship flights are to start in Japan shortly; The airships are manufactured by the Zeppelin company.
If in the future some lightweight, flexible, highly efficient solar panels where to be invented that could cover the dirigible, you would have a very green, very cheap to run, (and very slow!) form of air travel....

One of the great points of the airship described in the article is that it powers the electronics through solar power.

One of the great points of the airship described in the article is that it powers the electronics through solar power.

If it could power the engines you would have a transport method without emissions and the evils of fossil fuel. I'm far from an expert but I don't think that solar panels are powerful enough to do that yet.
Between posting my first reply and now, I've read today's paper, and was surprised to see an obit of Steve Fossett, whose wife (widow) started procedures to have him declared dead yesterday; Anyway, the piece mentioned the Zeppelin Company, the second, separate, mention I've seen this week of a company I thought went the way of the Dinosaur before the war. Funny how often coincidences like that happen.

Very cool, I always wanted to take a trip on an airship when I was a kid...

Hmmm.. anyone ever read Michael Moorcock's The Nomad of Time?

ty the film 'the thunderbird 6'. Yes, it is thunderbirds, yes, it is supermarionation, but it does feature a huge luxurious back then trendy-styled interior and more.