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Blimps... In... Space...

Posted by michael on from the hindenburg dept.

LandGator writes "MSNBC reports a California company with an alternate launch site in Texas, JP Aerospace, is on their third test of a blimp system specifically designed to fly to space. Blimps. To Space. At payload costs around a dollar a ton to LEO. Their concept, first unveiled at the Space Access '04 conference in Phoenix last month (with a blog report here, include the Ascender, a ground-to-near-space blimp, which docks to a helium-inflated two-mile-long station at the edge of space, over 20 miles up. Another ship, also a blimp but specifically designed to reach orbit, takes the payload from there to LEO, using well-proven electric propulsion (AKA 'ion drive'). That trip to LEO would take up to nine days, but that's a good thing; for, what goes up fast, must come down fast, and speed is energy which must be bled off by either massive amounts of expensive and explosive rocket fuel, or through ablative heat transfer which has its own problems (as we have seen before). JP Aerospace has flown many PongSats -- micropayloads the size of a ping-pong ball -- for balloon or rocket-launch. Over 1,500 PongSats have flown to date, which demonstrates a track record in near-space few of the X-Prize contenders can approach. Oh, yes, the Air Force is interested."

10 of 511 comments (clear)

  1. man by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    i fucking love the future!

  2. A US $ per ton? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I bet you can't pay me a US $ per ton to get my lazy butt off this chair.

  3. Indiana Jones 4 by sameerdesai · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    And then when Indiana Jones is travelling on the blimp he will figure out that the blimp changed direction by doppler shift!!!

  4. marketers by stagl · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    i can see the marketing folks rubbing their palms now...

    mmm...mass advertising...

    --

    R.I.P.
  5. Let's do it right... by Little+Grey · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Come on now, if we're really tipping our hat to The Muppet Show, let's do it right...

    Blimps... In... Spaaaaaaaaace!

  6. OT: Groklaw down? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Anyone know what's up with Groklaw?

    Warning: mysql_connect(): Can't connect to MySQL server on 'mysql2.ibiblio.org' (111) in /usr/local/wwwcache/groklaw-private/system/databas es/mysql.class.php on line 108
    Cannnot connect to DB server

  7. These war crininals need 1 way tickets: +1, Fun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    For their nation building.

    Be Patriotic: Impeach the Liars

    Thanks and have an Ashcroft_free day!!!
    Kilgore Trout

  8. Frist st0p by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    lost its earlier freeBSD had long

  9. ADDITIONAL INFO FOR *FILEPILE* MEMBERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    There is some bonus material available for members of FilePile. Please access the related bonus material via your filepile account. This includes a very scientific example of how this process will actually work.

  10. SEE YOU IN METAMOD! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I'll see you in METAMOD, you mismoderating BASTARD!