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arXiv · 1402.6706

Airships: A New Horizon for Science

Sarah H. Miller·Robert Fesen·Lynne Hillenbrand·Jason Rhodes·Gil Baird·Geoffrey Blake·Jeff Booth·David E. Carlile·Riley Duren·Frederick G. Edworthy·Brent Freeze·Randall R. Friedl·Paul F. Goldsmith·Jeffery L. Hall·Scott E. Hoffman·Scott E. Hovarter·Rebecca M. Jensen-Clem·Ross M. Jones·Jens Kauffmann·Alina Kiessling·Oliver G. King·Nick Konidaris·Timothy L. Lachenmeier·Steven D. Lord·Jessica Neu·Gregory R. Quetin·Alan Ram·Stanley Sander·Marc Simard·Mike Smith·Steve Smith·Sara Smoot·Sara Susca·Abigail Swann·Eliot F. Young·Thomas Zambrano
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Abstract

The "Airships: A New Horizon for Science" study at the Keck Institute for Space Studies investigated the potential of a variety of airships currently operable or under development to serve as observatories and science instrumentation platforms for a range of space, atmospheric, and Earth science. The participants represent a diverse cross-section of the aerospace sector, NASA, and academia. Over the last two decades, there has been wide interest in developing a high altitude, stratospheric lighter-than-air (LTA) airship that could maneuver and remain in a desired geographic position (i.e., "station-keeping") for weeks, months or even years. Our study found considerable scientific value in both low altitude (< 40 kft) and high altitude (> 60 kft) airships across a wide spectrum of space, atmospheric, and Earth science programs. Over the course of the study period, we identified stratospheric tethered aerostats as a viable alternative to airships where station-keeping was valued over maneuverability. By opening up the sky and Earth's stratospheric horizon in affordable ways with long-term flexibility, airships allow us to push technology and science forward in a project-rich environment that complements existing space observatories as well as aircraft and high-altitude balloon missions.

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Sarah H. Miller, Robert Fesen, Lynne Hillenbrand, Jason Rhodes, Gil Baird, Geoffrey Blake, Jeff Booth, David E. Carlile, Riley Duren, Frederick G. Edworthy, Brent Freeze, Randall R. Friedl, Paul F. Goldsmith, Jeffery L. Hall, Scott E. Hoffman, Scott E. Hovarter, Rebecca M. Jensen-Clem, Ross M. Jones, Jens Kauffmann, Alina Kiessling, Oliver G. King, Nick Konidaris, Timothy L. Lachenmeier, Steven D. Lord, Jessica Neu, Gregory R. Quetin, Alan Ram, Stanley Sander, Marc Simard, Mike Smith, Steve Smith, Sara Smoot, Sara Susca, Abigail Swann, Eliot F. Young, Thomas Zambrano. 2014-02-26. Airships: A New Horizon for Science. https://arxiv.org/abs/1402.6706

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