Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

19th Century Airship Technology for Port Security

Posted by samzenpus on from the eye-in-the-sky dept.

fenimor writes "Airships - known today mainly for advertising flyovers at football games - are the core of a new coastal surveillance system in development for the the U.S. Department of Defense. These stationary platforms 25 times the size of a Goodyear blimp will be equipped with an array of cutting-edge equipment for remote sensing, communications, and risk analysis, providing surveillance coverage over a surface area of 500,000 square miles from an altitude of 70,000 feet."

4 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. Great... by Izago909 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So now we have even more national security data that we can't monitor in real time. What good is all this info supposed to be if we can't use it to stop a problem before it happens? Technology is great at recording, storing, and retrieving information, but I don't see a database server walking down to the beach to make an arrest. Are the politicians considering an increase in the Coast Guard, Port Authority, and other applicable agencies? If not, all this new technology won't do much good.

  2. massive innefficiency by samot84aol.com · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Dosn't this seem terribly innefficient? I mean, mantaining these things in the air at all times, to do a job that seems to already be done by survelience satellites, airplanes and ground. And how does this reduce the risk to terrorism?

  3. Repairs? by Paster+Of+Muppets · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Hmm... Operating at 70,000 feet? How the hell are you meant to repair them? Bringing it back down for maintenance is the only option I can think of, and that will severely reduce your observational capabilities there.

    Also, what if it gets punctured or damaged while at 70,000 feet? Will there be an immediate action plan to send up a replacement? As it's unmanned, I guess this means that every little defect requires a ground-based overhaul?

    Personally, I don't see it working at the moment.

    --
    Due to lack of disk space this user has been discontinued
  4. They could also be good for astronomy by Michael+Woodhams · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Astronomers have occasionally used balloon borne telescopes for getting above most of the atmosphere, as it is much cheaper than a satellite. If there is a mass-produced long duration stratespheric balloon/airship available, it could make this much more viable.

    As an aside - the article also discusses "Terahertz imaging." One terahertz corresponds to wavelength of about 0.3 mm or 300 microns - extreme IR, or short sub-millimetre, depending on your point of view.

    --
    Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.