November 2, 2007 An integral part of the exciting ML866 "superyacht for the sky", Aeros’ Control of Static Heaviness (COSH) system allows airships to adjust their weight in mid-flight without the use of a traditional ballast material. After successful initial tests of the controversial system, Aeros has been awarded funding by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for further demonstrations.
Under the program, Aeros will carry out the conceptual design, technology development, hardware development and bench demonstration, finalizing with the flight demonstration of the system on the FAA type certified Aeros 40D non-rigid airship.
The COSH system enables an airship’s weight to be controlled without using a traditional ballast. This means the aircraft’s buoyancy can be controlled more precisely than before. It is thought to operate by compressing helium to add weight, and decompressing it to lighten the craft, but details are sketchy, and skeptics openly wonder whether onboard machinery can compress the gas fast enough to operate effectively.
COSH technology is viewed by DARPA as having the potential to open new possibilities and further advance all kinds of lighter-than-air air vehicles including, high altitude and stratospheric airships, aerostats, conventional airships and new very heavy lift buoyancy assisted air vehicles in support of Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and other agencies’ needs.
Its overall density after all is what gives it bouyancy. The mass of air it displaces.
That\'s why rocks don\'t float and aircraft carriers do, even though an aircraft carrier weighs a heap more.
I\'ve always wondered how truly dangerous a hydrogen airship would be. With modern materials I would think there would be no more danger then the \"exploding flammable\" gas we drive around with us in our vehicles. Ever seen a car on fire? Oh no lets stop using gas vehicles!
Anyway I hope they are built.
A LPG-powerd car exploded a few years back here, the explosion blowing off the roof, but the fire died as quick as it happened! I have been in a LPG bus when it caught fire, and while it scared the shit out of me, there was no real damage from the ensuing LPG fire - very much like fires in movies: Very impressive, but no harm done to the structure, or even me :-)! The bus was soon back in service.
Diesel fires, and petrol fires, are much, much worse!