submitted by v0atmage to newz3 yearsApr 17, 2022 17:12:54 ago (+4/-1) (newz)
On the tlolocaust podcast we were discussing the feasibility of your grand plans for airships @rhy and the consensus was large ships would not scale. You would need too massive of a balloon to keep them afloat, essentially. In addition to the size the helium costs could be hundreds of thousands of dollars for just one trip.
Have you thought around that aspect of the problem yet?
PS: Is that google ex employee interview still happening?
You are correct. The tech has expanded, but the original problems of mass storage still exist - it leaks and corrodes anything it is in. Plus the little problem with reacting pretty aggressively with oxygen when the right percentage.
Low pressure hydrogen isn't too bad because it doesn't take a lot to keep it in for a short duration, and the new materials can be pretty good containers.
Overall, buoyancy in air solutions are pretty poor though - because of the low density of air.
To buoy up 1kg of weigh takes roughly 1m^3 of hydrogen/helium. Now multiply that by the mass needed to make things actually functional. That's why the zeppelins were so large for a relatively small crew/traveler count.
Going fast in a thin skin/frame is also not a thing (relative to the air currents), as the skin will be ripped apart quite easily in a huge craft.
Passengers are allowed to book passage on cargo ships, if they wish - but very few do, because few people have the luxury of spare time for shipboard travel.
localsal 0 points 3 years ago
You are correct. The tech has expanded, but the original problems of mass storage still exist - it leaks and corrodes anything it is in. Plus the little problem with reacting pretty aggressively with oxygen when the right percentage.
Low pressure hydrogen isn't too bad because it doesn't take a lot to keep it in for a short duration, and the new materials can be pretty good containers.
Overall, buoyancy in air solutions are pretty poor though - because of the low density of air.
To buoy up 1kg of weigh takes roughly 1m^3 of hydrogen/helium. Now multiply that by the mass needed to make things actually functional. That's why the zeppelins were so large for a relatively small crew/traveler count.
Going fast in a thin skin/frame is also not a thing (relative to the air currents), as the skin will be ripped apart quite easily in a huge craft.
Passengers are allowed to book passage on cargo ships, if they wish - but very few do, because few people have the luxury of spare time for shipboard travel.