5 ms·

I assume blimps or lighter than air components where illegal? Or is it just too hard to fly the larger volume around the course?

by stubish 1mo ago

jml7c5 1mo ago
Your assumption is correct, they were prohibited: >3.7 Heavier than air: The UAS must be a heavier-than-air aircraft. The use of any lighter-than-air gases to provide buoyant lift is strictly prohibited. Teams may use chemically inert gases for subsystem actuation, safety inerting, and component rigidity, provided that there is no buoyant advantage and the gas is contained in components operating at pressures indicative of mechanical function. https://www.darpa.mil/research/challenges/lift/rules https://www.darpa.mil/research/challenges/lift/rules
- somat 1mo ago
  Someone did fly a sort of balloonocopter, a quad copter that used inflated balloons as the cross arms, My disappointment is immeasurable that they were not allowed to use a lifting gas in it. I mean, it flew poorly anyway, but seeing as it is an unmanned vehicle, I would have used hydrogen as my lifting gas, and then when it had a catastrophic failure it would get a viking funeral for free. As it is, there were some impressive metal fires during crashes, another win for lithium batteries.
- anon48293 1mo ago
  Gases? So vacuum is allowed?
  - Am4TIfIsER0ppos 1mo ago
    If you can make a vacuum container lighter than air then go for it.
  - Uncle_Brumpus 1mo ago
    I'm currently reading Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds. In the second book, there's a water-world where there are airships, and a whole city held aloft in the air by "vacuum bladders". I'll admit when I first read that detail in a description of the blimp-like airship the 2 characters are riding right at the beginning of the book, it took me a second to realize exactly what it meant. My understanding of airships like blimps and such hinges on something being in the gas bladder... But yes, nothing is certainly lighter than something! I haven't yet encountered any technical description of how the bladders are constructed, which I look forward to reading.
    - pavel_lishin 1mo ago
      I think there was something similar in Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age".
    - stubish 1mo ago
      You need to construct a sphere that is strong enough withstand 1 atmosphere of pressure but also lighter than the weight of the air being displaced. In a sci-fi book you would construct your unobtanium shell in space and use them to splash down heavier payload to earth. But the material needed is probably still magic. I think Reynolds also had smelting in space, where molten metal would be turned into a huge volume of froth using some lighter than air gas. The 'burgs' of metal foam could then gently float down to earth.

I assume blimps or lighter than air components where illegal? Or is it just too hard to fly the larger volume around the course?

by stubish 1mo ago

I assume blimps or lighter than air components where illegal? Or is it just too hard to fly the larger volume around the course?

jml7c5 1mo ago

Your assumption is correct, they were prohibited: >3.7 Heavier than air: The UAS must be a heavier-than-air aircraft. The use of any lighter-than-air gases to provide buoyant lift is strictly prohibited. Teams may use chemically inert gases for subsystem actuation, safety inerting, and component rigidity, provided that there is no buoyant advantage and the gas is contained in components operating at pressures indicative of mechanical function. https://www.darpa.mil/research/challenges/lift/rules https://www.darpa.mil/research/challenges/lift/rules

somat 1mo ago
Someone did fly a sort of balloonocopter, a quad copter that used inflated balloons as the cross arms, My disappointment is immeasurable that they were not allowed to use a lifting gas in it. I mean, it flew poorly anyway, but seeing as it is an unmanned vehicle, I would have used hydrogen as my lifting gas, and then when it had a catastrophic failure it would get a viking funeral for free. As it is, there were some impressive metal fires during crashes, another win for lithium batteries.
anon48293 1mo ago
Gases? So vacuum is allowed?
- Am4TIfIsER0ppos 1mo ago
  If you can make a vacuum container lighter than air then go for it.
- Uncle_Brumpus 1mo ago
  I'm currently reading Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds. In the second book, there's a water-world where there are airships, and a whole city held aloft in the air by "vacuum bladders". I'll admit when I first read that detail in a description of the blimp-like airship the 2 characters are riding right at the beginning of the book, it took me a second to realize exactly what it meant. My understanding of airships like blimps and such hinges on something being in the gas bladder... But yes, nothing is certainly lighter than something! I haven't yet encountered any technical description of how the bladders are constructed, which I look forward to reading.
  - pavel_lishin 1mo ago
    I think there was something similar in Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age".
  - stubish 1mo ago
    You need to construct a sphere that is strong enough withstand 1 atmosphere of pressure but also lighter than the weight of the air being displaced. In a sci-fi book you would construct your unobtanium shell in space and use them to splash down heavier payload to earth. But the material needed is probably still magic. I think Reynolds also had smelting in space, where molten metal would be turned into a huge volume of froth using some lighter than air gas. The 'burgs' of metal foam could then gently float down to earth.