One of the Many Missions Developed for Airships Besides Flying Passengers to Lakehurst ---- Do you Detect Sarcasm ?

We here at HybridPelta keep running into stories about the obsolescence of airships --- you know ---

1. went out of business after the Hindenburg,
2. dangerous with all that hydrogen (or is it helium ?) inside
3. an airgun could bring it down
4. the only true measure of an aircraft is its efficiency
5. slower than a Cessna 150
6. a light wind would blow it off course
7. needs an entire regiment of ground handlers
8. a helicopter could do their job
and so on, and so on .

It is therefore refreshing to run across news stories that contradict
all that nonsense. 

Arlington, VA— March 29, 2012 [please note date] — Logos Technologies successfully showcased its Kestrel day/night wide-area persistent surveillance system at a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demonstration in Nogales, Arizona. 
Funded by DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate, the week-long test allowed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to evaluate the already battle-proven Kestrel for border security use. 
Mounted on a Raven Aerostar aerostat and working in tandem with an L-3 Wescam MX camera, Kestrel was able to scan a city-sized area and help CBP agents identify dozens of illicit activities in progress.

Thanks to the Logos-led team, authorities apprehended 30 suspects on the first night of the demonstration alone and made a total of 80 arrests over the course of the week.

“The coverage was amazing. We were able to see activities happening in different parts of the city all at the same time,” said a senior CBP official. “We could keep an eye on one area while dispatching agents to other areas.”

In addition to providing actionable, real-time information, the Kestrel team also demonstrated the significance of the system’s forensic capability. 

While identifying illicit activities in real time, the Kestrel system could also rewind through its stored imagery, allowing operators to track the suspects back to their hideouts and monitor other illegal activities.
 
“It is immensely gratifying to support border security personnel,” said John Marion, Director of Logos’ Persistent Surveillance Division. “Getting these new tools into their hands is key to safeguarding our towns and cities.”

The Kestrel wide-area persistent surveillance system has already proven itself in Afghanistan, where it is mounted on aerostats and used to protect troops on forward operating bases.
 

About Logos Technologies

Founded in 1996, Logos Technologies, Inc. is a diversified defense and energy company specializing in the fields of biofuel research, advanced nuclear engineering, cyber defense, and Intelligent Persistent Surveillance. Logos serves customers including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security.

NUNATSIAQ NEWS Around the Arctic, June 2011

  

                                                                                                                     EDITORIAL NOTES by HybridPelta (HP) . Shades of Airships to the Arctic and ISOPolar  : Here's another cogent, and  compelling reason to develop airships as a viable method of transportation in the Arctic .   HP

Companies eye metallic elements used in magnets, batteries, hybrid cars . World demand for rare earths sparks exploration in Nunavut and Nunavik , Canada

Surveys show that the Forum Uranium's Nutaaq property appears to be rich in rare earth minerals (REM's), which are sought after by industry for use in cars, batteries, and other products.

The presence of rare earths in Nunavut and Nunavik is beginning to draw the attention of mineral exploration companies that see a chance to satisfy the world’s hunger for these metallic elements required in everything from cellphones to electric cars.

Forum Uranium Corp. announced today that it’s mobilizing a field crew to its Nutaaq rare earth property, 13 kilometres southeast of the Kiggavik uranium property near Baker Lake, because survey results show promising rare earth deposits there.

The rare earth deposits on Forum’s Nutaaq property lie close to the surface, so they could be mined using low cost  bulk extraction methods, the company said in a recent news release.

Earlier this month, Azimut Exploration Inc. reported “excellent results” from its search for rare earths on its Diana property, 40 kilometers northwest of Kuujjuaq.

The names of the 17 rare earths, metallic elements, like yttrium, erbium, terbium and dysprosium, which these companies are after, are unfamiliar to most Americans not actively involved in advanced technology development and manufacture . But rare earths, also called REE’s or rare earth elements, are commonly used in flat-screen televisions, laptops, iPod earbuds and digital cameras.

So-called “heavy” rare earth metals are used to produce heat-resistant magnets found in wind turbines, computer hard drives, rechargeable batteries, and electric motors, and therefore are particularly in demand by industry

Overall, about 30 per cent of the world’s consumption of rare earth elements is related to automobiles, a figure that could grow as more consumers shift to hybrid vehicles, which typically contain more than 27 kilograms of rare-earth product.

China now produces most of the world’s rare earth supply. But in recent years the Chinese government has imposed tariffs and export restrictions on rare earth buyers. So mining companies have been scouting for new sources of rare earths in Australia, the United States, Brazil, South Africa, and Greenland . Greenland has become of particular interest  recently, as a large deposit of REE's was discovered in Kvanefjeld in near Narsaq.

Greenland Minerals & Energy states that Kvanefjeld has the potential to meet the world’s rapidly growing demand for rare earths, and in doing so, can become a major contributor to the Greenland economy for decades to come. Kvanefjeld can be the start of a truly world class mining district and can be developed in a responsible, environmentally-conscious manner, to become one of the world’s premier source of Rare Earth Elements. The company's slogan is  “Specialty Metals for a Greener World.”

If Forum’s Nutaaq property ever goes into production, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) stands to earn substantial income, as it will receive a two per cent smelter royalty from Nutaaq, according to the company's latest estimate, a revenue generated from sale of its rare earth minerals, minus its production expenses.

However, there’s an environmental risk from mining and refining rare earths because some tailings can be radioactive, and toxic acids are required during the refining process.

Geopolitical Strategic Note by HybridPelta :                                          

Daewoo, a South Korean conglomerate, is already engaged in mineral exploration and extraction of heavy earth minerals not far north of the Canadian-American border.  HP : If that doesn't raise the hairs on the back of your neck, you're anaesthetized !

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was officially separated from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999 . Actual boundaries had been established in 1993. The creation of Nunavut ---  meaning "our land" in Inuktitut --- resulted in the first major change to Canada's map since the incorporation of Newfoundland as a new province in 1949. Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada, and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, making it the fifth-largest country subdivision in the world .

Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada . Covering a land area of  over 171,000 square miles  north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit (designator changed from "Eskimo" decades ago) of Quebec. Almost all of the 11,627 inhabitants (according to the latest census of the region) of whom 90% are Inuit, live in fourteen northern villages on the coast of Nunavik and in reserved land  of the Cree Native Americans .

Nunavik means "place to live" in the local dialect of Inuktitut and the Inuit inhabitants of the region call themselves Nunavimmiut. Until 1912, the region was part of the District of Ungava of the Northwest Territories.

Negotiations for regional autonomy are underway, and Nunavik is in the process of  becoming an autonomous region within the province of Quebec.

HP : Hm'm'm'm ! Suddenly, discussions about the Arctic and its resources don't seem so exotic or irrelevant anymore.  

STRATEGIC MINERALS : AIRSHIPS IN THE ARCTIC ... OR ELSE

The mounting deficits and current lag in technological leadership have allowed the United States to lag steadily behind China -- a country that holds more than $1 trillion of its IOU's. Nowhere is this shifting balance of global geopolitical power clearer than in the supply chain conflicts over rare earth minerals (REM's), their ownership, their extraction, and the ecological impacts of their exploitation.

China controls roughly 97% of all REM's produced in the world. These minerals are critical because of their use in the manufacture of high-powered magnets and other recent advances. The United States requires them for essential uses in military areas such as missile guidance systems; the latest electronic circuits ; newly developed batteries ; and other innovative technologies !

Rare earth minerals also serve as a key element in an extensive number of civilian applications such as fuel cells; fiber optics; wind turbines; and the most advanced communication systems. This range of critical uses makes it all too easy for shortages --- real or apparent --- to trigger a buying panic .

Rare-earth minerals are doing well as investments because investors are keeping a wary eye on the location and accessibility of REM deposits, and their concern tends to drive up prices in this sensitive market. Location is critical, as up to half of rare earth sales may soon be coming from China. Some forecasts indicate that, within the next three years, China will need for its own use all the rare earth minerals it can produce.

China has, until now, used to good effect its rare-earth oligopoly, that is, control by a few, but capable of expanding to full-blown monopoly. Scarcity and volatility can permit the Chinese government to pressure firms who wish to purchase rare-earth minerals to locate their factories in China, where they would pose a potentially dangerous geopolitical threat.

Ironically, the Arctic regions of both our trading partner, Canada, and of the United States' own state of Alaska hold vast deposits of oil, gas, precious metals and the often overlooked rare earths . Other nations are investing in the Arctic, but indications are that the U.S. is sitting on its hands.                                                                     -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The previous paragraphs were derived from an abstract of an investors' research service paper authored by a Pulitzer Prize-winning authority. The information was recast and redacted by HybridPelta for your reading consternation.

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Commentary by HybridPelta:                                                  

Clearly, to properly exploit the mineral riches of the Arctic for the needs of our new technological world calls for a logistical and transportation system that does not currently exist .

In the vast areas of frozen tundra, trackless plains, and impassable mountain ranges in the Arctic north, there are no developed road systems, no railroad network, and only the make-do efforts of daring bush pilots and ice road truckers.

AIRSHIPS A SENSIBLE, AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE

Airships are a logical extension of current transportation technology, as they can take off without expensive (or even impossible-to-build) runways, then travel safely at low altitudes, and land almost anywhere --- even on tundra or the ice of frozen lakes . As lighter-than-air craft and their cognate, hybrid airships,  are a rare combination of technologies both new and old --- but constantly developing and improving --- they can be designed to be safe, low cost, and without the large ground-handling crew requirements of the old Zeppelins. They can fly in most weather conditions in which a large modern airplane can fly safely. They can be designed as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV's or drones), not even requiring a crew, utilizing new remotely-operated control techniques, and piloted comfortably from a safe, distant control center, using remote sensors and video vision capabilities. If the design included "Green" power, with inexpensive, renewable fuels, it would not offend ecological sensibilities.

HYDROGEN FUEL; AIRCRAFT STABILITY; and INFRASTRUCTURE

With no crew's lives at risk from possible aircraft fire, drones don't even pose a fatal threat if they were to use hydrogen as their lifting fuel (Oh, the humanity !) . As an airship is inherently stable --- that is, just let the controls go and it remains essentially in the same position, attitude, and flight aspect . This is arguably quite unlike the inherently unstable helicopter. That would alleviate other concerns. If you challenge that concept, just consider the number of helicopter accidents and resulting injuries and fatalities. ###

We would like to see us explore innovative transportation methods such as cargo-capable airships, that don't require the costly, difficult-to-build infrastructure of railways and roads .

HINDENBURG ? OH, NO, NOT YOU, TOO

There's a tired old joke whose punch-line is "Does the name 'Quasimodo' ring a bell ?" At this point, we  could utter a similar "Does the name 'Hindenburg' ring a bell ?". The subject of the Hindenburg disaster is frequently mentioned whenever the topic of airships comes up. Ah, yes, the Hindenburg ! Somehow, the semi-literates*** who raise the specter of that iconic airship disaster 75 years ago blithely ignore the many technological advances in airship technology and safety that have taken place since 1937. It would appear that the Faster-and-Higher advocates of transportation policy-and-planning have clouded the judgement of government  officials ... no surprise, considering the billions of dollars at stake and already expended.

AND THE TITANIC , ALSO ?  WILL YOU NEVER STOP ?

Just speculate as to the progress that would have been made if the specter of the Titanic disaster (1912) had been similarly raised at every planning meeting of passenger ship construction .... or, worse, if the formerly-held viewpoint that it's impossible for iron ships to float had been raised in those meetings? Think that the latter belief is obsolete by hundreds of years ?

Yet a similar notion had prevailed when shortages of critical materials --- like iron and steel --- motivated some think tanks in World War II to suggest the concept of aircraft carriers constructed out of concrete or, ready for this one, ice . The implementation of these radical solutions never took place, but preliminary tests were done.

SOLUTION FROM AN UNUSUAL, BUT AUTHORITATIVE, SOURCE

Dr. Barry Prentice, of the Faculty of the University of Manitoba and Founder of ISO Polar, has been trying for a decade and more to educate people, especially -- but never exclusively -- in Canada, about the use of airships in those northern areas, a critical concern of the Canadian government. He must indeed have felt like the  "voice crying in the wilderness " of Isaiah and the other biblical prophets . Millions are familiar with the latest escapades of Lindsay Lohan, but the issue of Airships and the Arctic raised in almost any venue usually draws a complete blank.  We believe that his research, his insights, and the solutions proposed through his untiring efforts need to be recognised, implemented, and endorsed.

Let's all agree : the issues are imminent; the solutions are evident; the time is now.

                                    HybridPelta

NOTES

*** Semi-literate :  someone who reads, believes, and quotes only that half of what they read that comports and agrees with his own beliefs, right or wrong . We use the descriptor "Semi-Literate" to describe people who submit the same tired old fallacious clichés about the failings, drawbacks, and disadvantages of airships to airship forums again and again , as though the really bright aeronautical engineers and designers involved had not heard those same specious arguments a hundred times and more, and had carefully explained those fears and misunderstandings away .

###    Helicopter Accidents By Year through 2009

Year 1963________      4 1964 ...............   268 1965 ...............   250 1966 ...............   303 1967 ...............   241 1968 ...............   232 1969 ...............   271 1970 ................  251 1971 ................  221 1972 ................  229 1973 ................  268 1974 ................  269 1975 ................  304 1976 ................  278 1977  ...............  296 1978 ................  334 1979  ...............  307 1980  ...............  340 1981  ...............  336 1982  ...............  324 1983  ...............  297 1984  ...............  311 1985  ...............  257 1986 ................  244 1987  ...............  217 1988  ...............  241 1989  ...............  255 1990  ...............  319 1991  ...............  244 1992  ...............  276 1993  ...............  256 1994  ...............  282 1995  ...............  223 1996  ...............  209 1997  ...............  299 1998 ................  322 1999  ...............  354 2000  ...............  370 2001  ...............  334 2002  ...............  373 2003  ...............  370 2004  ...............  327 2005  ...............  328 2006  ...............  300  2007  ...............  301 2008  ...............  266 2009  ...............  220 TOTAL ... 13,128