Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- Climate change is bringing back the idea of airships as viable alternatives for transportation and environmental observation.
What are Airships?
- Airships are lighter-than-air aircraft that are lifted by gas with a density lower than atmospheric gasses.
- This principle also operates in helium balloons.
- The structure of an airship often includes an envelope (or balloon) filled with the lifting gas and a gondola or cabin where the crew, passengers, or cargo are housed.
- Early airships used hydrogen as the lifting gas, since it was cheap and the lightest existing gas. But hydrogen was also extremely flammable.
- Most modern airships use helium, which is non-combustible.
Challenges
- Buoyancy Management: A major hurdle for airships as cargo vehicles is managing buoyancy changes when loading or unloading freight.
- Speed: Airships are considerably slower than airplanes, which limits their use for time-sensitive transportation.
- Helium Scarcity: Helium is a non-renewable resource primarily obtained from natural gas extraction.
Need for Airships in Modern Times
- Low Emissions: Airships offer an inherently eco-friendly mode of transport as they do not burn fossil fuels for lift.
- Freight Efficiency: With a superior lift-to-drag ratio, airships can transport large amounts of cargo with significantly less fuel, offering a sustainable alternative to fuel-guzzling jets
- Remote Accessibility: Airships have the unique ability to access remote areas without requiring extensive infrastructure, such as runways or roads.
Source: IE
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