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SAMdashada

04/10/07 11:39 PM

#71145 RE: nilremerlin #71141

As of right now . . .

GTEM does not have an "airship".

An airship or dirigible is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. Unlike aerodynamic craft (e.g. airplanes and helicopters) which stay aloft by moving an airfoil through the air in order to produce lift, aerostatic craft such as airships (and balloons) stay aloft primarily by means of a cavity (usually quite large) filled with a gas of lesser density than the surrounding atmosphere.

As of right now what we have is a balloon which has, as Mr. Murch stated, successfully completed "a float test" at the end of a tether.

It is the stated intent of Mr. Murch and Sanswire to, after testing, launch the demonstrator and both propel and steer the craft. At that time it will truly be, as some currently call it "an airship".

I hope and pray that as each objective is achieved with the demonstrator that the gained knowledge makes each succeeding hurdle easier to overcome.