The Highest Jump

Posted on January 19, 2017 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: Air & Space Magazine – airspacemag.com

By Mark Betancourt

The computer scientist who pulled off a world-record skydive is still wondering: Could it be done from orbit?

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Frozen in time: A look at ill-fated balloon journey to the Arctic

Posted on January 17, 2017 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: Albuquerque Journal – abqjournal.com

By Rick Nathanson

Between the years 1550 and 1900, more than 500 people were lost or killed trying to get to the North Pole, mostly by sailing ships or pulled on sledges by dogs or Siberian ponies.

But in 1897, three fearless and forward-thinking adventurers from Sweden, attempting to become the first to successfully cross that Arctic holy grail, set off on an expedition via the never-before-tried conveyance of a gas balloon.

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Amazon Has a Patent for Floating Blimp Warehouses

Posted on December 29, 2016 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: Inverse – inverse.com

By Jack Crosbie

Way back in April, Amazon quietly received a patent for “aerial fulfillment centers” — massive blimp warehouses that would float 45,000 feet in the sky and deliver products with precision-guided UAVs. In other words, in the future, you could order something online and have it literally fall out of the sky minutes later.

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Airlander Update

Posted on December 29, 2016 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: Hybrid Air Vehicles – hybridairvehicles.com

Hybrid Air Vehicles is pleased to announce the structural damage sustained by Airlander’s heavy landing this summer has now been repaired, and over the Christmas period the new cockpit will be painted prior to the windscreens being fitted. The early part of 2017 will consist of a series of rigorous tests before Airlander continues its Flight Test Program.

Source: Hybrid Air Vehicles – hybridairvehicles.com

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Prominent Russian Adventurer Seeks to Break Two Hot Air Balloon Flight Records in 2017

Posted on December 12, 2016 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: TASS Russian News Agency – tass.com

Russia’s world-renowned adventurer, Fyodor Konyukhov, plans to break two records in 2017: the hot air balloon flight duration record and the hot air balloon flight altitude record.

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