Given the SF 'grounding' of several Vo's - along with the
propensity to go from the scientific to the transendental without
skipping a beat, I am a little surprised that no one mentioned the
"Riverworld" stories of Philip Jose Farmer - where an LTA is
featured - possibly as a metaphorical vehicle. Certainly not other
craft made by man has the same kind of cloud-like intrigue and
angelic allure as the airship.
In fact, from a technological standpoint Farmer may be the first
to have suggested that helium be _heated_ for added lift, using
the exhaust of whatever motor is driving the craft (possibly
others thought of it first - does anyone know?) This is the same
principle of the hot-air ballon, of course, but with the added
benefit of helium.
Add a hundred-or-so degrees of heat to helium and it gives about
the same buoancy as hydrogen with some added safety. Airhsips have
two envelopes anyway, and with some small re-engineering to
thermally insulate the hot bags from the colder exterior shell...
voila. Heat exchangers can be very lightweight. A ten pound heat
exchanger - mounted on the hot exhaust of a LTA's motor could
transfer enough heat to the helium to provide several thousand
pounds of extra payload capacity or to create the smaller version
we are all awainting (at least in lucid dreams - the PB = personal
blimp).
Farmer's theological premise, and that of many scientists, is that
society's idea of life-after-death is an outdated relic,
originally concieved in order to add a layer of institutionalized
"control" for the populace, but under the guise of it being
voluntary. Many of the near-death reports lead the objective
observer to suspect that the initial afterlife experience is
self-created by expectation - with the further implication that we
actually "create" our total afterlife, for however long it
continues - based on beliefs held prior. Too bad for Dante.
Anyway, please DO NOT attempt to futher expound on that
theological thesis on vortex. It is more befiting another forum.
The thing Farmer is best remembered for - by me at least, is the
idea of a "hot helium" airship... which does make a lot of sense
for the future, doesn't it? (given that the Storm's LENR reactor
will be producing all that free-helium anyway - not to mention the
excess heat needed to give it added buoancy ;-)
Why settle for a Prius when the CF-PB is close at hand? Save you
money for a super-size-it garage!
Jones
