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You will need a lot of pricey Helium-filled airships to replace an average container ship. I guess the airspace will look somewhat like the Cleveland Balloonfe

You will need a lot of pricey Helium-filled airships to replace an average container ship. I guess the airspace will look somewhat like the Cleveland Balloonfest '86... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0CT8zrw6lw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0CT8zrw6lw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloonfest_%2786 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloonfest_%2786

okamiueru 5y ago
The balloonfest was one of the most obvious and dumbest fuckeries that have been orchestrated for the dumbest reasons. I don't know what an airborn attempt at global shipping would be like, but I'm pretty sure it would be nothing like that stupidity.
- Borrible 5y ago
  >I don't know what an airborn attempt at global shipping would be like, but I'm pretty sure it would be nothing like that stupidity. Well, since air freight on the scale of global cargo shipping is probably not economically feasible, especially to save the puny remnant of species that are no longer profitable to exploit, I'm afraid there are no steampunk airship fantasies on the horizon, I think. Last time someone grounded the idea of air ship cargo at least a German province got a tropical island in the sun. https://www.tropical-islands.de/en/tropical-world/attractions/15-years-of-tropical-islands/ https://www.tropical-islands.de/en/tropical-world/attraction... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CargoLifter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CargoLifter
CorrectHorseBat 5y ago
The article in questions did advocate for hydrogen. Cheap, abundant, more lift and according to the article safe enough.
- Borrible 5y ago
  >save enough That probably won't convince neither aviation security authorities nor insurance companies. Beside, allthough helium is more expensive but far saver than hydrogen it isn't the reason for the economical infeasibility of air ship cargo on global scale.
  - mensetmanusman 5y ago
    We work with more dangerous fuels daily… If we can design ships to go to mars, I’m sure we can use modern technology to design airships as safe as airplanes.
    - Borrible 5y ago
      The CargoLifter CL 160 I mentioned above was planned to carry 160 metric tons with a volume of up to 3,200 cubic metres. Its body volume should have been 550,000 cubic meter filled with helium. They probably chose helium for a reason. They didn't think it a good idea to plaster the skys with thousands of vehicles, each with half a million cubic meters of burnable fuel in its hull. To save the whales from container and other ships with a cargo capacity of thousands of TEU's. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/cargolifter/ https://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/cargolifter/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-foot_equivalent_unit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-foot_equivalent_unit And there is still the question of economic sustainability. Even for small operations like cargo to remote areas. Not to say the volume on a global scale like cargo shipping.
rascul 5y ago
I just learned about this Ballonfest thing. How could anyone have thought it was a good idea?
- Borrible 5y ago
  Ha, then wait until your grandchildren ask you about carbon dioxide and why there are no more whales in the oceans anymore. But you may find an answer to your question here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17370469 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17370469
- Borrible 5y ago
  Oh and just because this thread is also about whales, you probably don't know about the exploding whale thing either, right? https://hn.algolia.com/?q=exploding+whale https://hn.algolia.com/?q=exploding+whale
1123581321 5y ago
Great little documentary. The color palette and soundscape of the balloon release reminded me a bit of Starro in the recent Suicide Squad, and there’s a non-zero chance Gunn has seen this footage.
- Borrible 5y ago
  Did you know, sea stars are dying too? https://marine.ucsc.edu/data-products/sea-star-wasting/ https://marine.ucsc.edu/data-products/sea-star-wasting/

okamiueru 5y ago

The balloonfest was one of the most obvious and dumbest fuckeries that have been orchestrated for the dumbest reasons. I don't know what an airborn attempt at global shipping would be like, but I'm pretty sure it would be nothing like that stupidity.

Borrible 5y ago
>I don't know what an airborn attempt at global shipping would be like, but I'm pretty sure it would be nothing like that stupidity. Well, since air freight on the scale of global cargo shipping is probably not economically feasible, especially to save the puny remnant of species that are no longer profitable to exploit, I'm afraid there are no steampunk airship fantasies on the horizon, I think. Last time someone grounded the idea of air ship cargo at least a German province got a tropical island in the sun. https://www.tropical-islands.de/en/tropical-world/attractions/15-years-of-tropical-islands/ https://www.tropical-islands.de/en/tropical-world/attraction... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CargoLifter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CargoLifter

CorrectHorseBat 5y ago

The article in questions did advocate for hydrogen. Cheap, abundant, more lift and according to the article safe enough.

Borrible 5y ago
>save enough That probably won't convince neither aviation security authorities nor insurance companies. Beside, allthough helium is more expensive but far saver than hydrogen it isn't the reason for the economical infeasibility of air ship cargo on global scale.
- mensetmanusman 5y ago
  We work with more dangerous fuels daily… If we can design ships to go to mars, I’m sure we can use modern technology to design airships as safe as airplanes.
  - Borrible 5y ago
    The CargoLifter CL 160 I mentioned above was planned to carry 160 metric tons with a volume of up to 3,200 cubic metres. Its body volume should have been 550,000 cubic meter filled with helium. They probably chose helium for a reason. They didn't think it a good idea to plaster the skys with thousands of vehicles, each with half a million cubic meters of burnable fuel in its hull. To save the whales from container and other ships with a cargo capacity of thousands of TEU's. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/cargolifter/ https://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/cargolifter/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-foot_equivalent_unit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-foot_equivalent_unit And there is still the question of economic sustainability. Even for small operations like cargo to remote areas. Not to say the volume on a global scale like cargo shipping.

rascul 5y ago

I just learned about this Ballonfest thing. How could anyone have thought it was a good idea?

Borrible 5y ago
Ha, then wait until your grandchildren ask you about carbon dioxide and why there are no more whales in the oceans anymore. But you may find an answer to your question here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17370469 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17370469
Borrible 5y ago
Oh and just because this thread is also about whales, you probably don't know about the exploding whale thing either, right? https://hn.algolia.com/?q=exploding+whale https://hn.algolia.com/?q=exploding+whale

1123581321 5y ago

Great little documentary. The color palette and soundscape of the balloon release reminded me a bit of Starro in the recent Suicide Squad, and there’s a non-zero chance Gunn has seen this footage.

Borrible 5y ago
Did you know, sea stars are dying too? https://marine.ucsc.edu/data-products/sea-star-wasting/ https://marine.ucsc.edu/data-products/sea-star-wasting/