OHM Hybrid Airship 1

[markp]

markp submitted a new addon:

Hybrid Airship - A hybrid airship that can be used in planetary atmospheres

A hybrid airship for Orbiter. The airship is a combination of an airship and an airplane that obtains lift from lighter than air gas stored in its envelope and from aerodynamic lift from the shape of its envelope. A hybrid airship may also include propellers that can be rotated to provide vectored thrust. A hybrid airship is easier to handle on the ground than a regular airship as it is slightly heavier than air. It is claimed that hybrid airships could provide heavy lifting capabilities at...

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[boogabooga]

What lifting gas is being used?

It would be cool if the user could choose between hydrogen, helium, etc. or even vacuum, if your model supports it.

Vacuum airships might work on Mars, assuming that the envelope shape could be maintained by rigid support, since the surface pressure is only slightly above vacuum anyway.

 

[markp]

What lifting gas is being used?

It would be cool if the user could choose between hydrogen, helium, etc. or even vacuum, if your model supports it.

Vacuum airships might work on Mars, assuming that the envelope shape could be maintained by rigid support, since the surface pressure is only slightly above vacuum anyway.

Helium is the lifting gas.

Yes it looks like the user could choose between lifting gases via the individual gas constant. I can add an option for that and the vacuum airship in the scenario file.

Thanks for the suggestion (and the review of the addon).

 

[francisdrake]

I read an article about an airship on Mars. It suggests to use Hydrogen as lifting gas on Mars. Hydrogen is not flammable in Mars atmospheric conditions. The density of the Hydrogen filling is much lower than on Earth, due to the lower ambient pressure.
Still the airship would need to be pretty big to lift a useful payload.

 

[boogabooga]

Helium is the lifting gas.

Yes it looks like the user could choose between lifting gases via the individual gas constant. I can add an option for that and the vacuum airship in the scenario file.

Thanks for the suggestion (and the review of the addon).

Also, Helium would not work on Jupiter/Saturn, but Hydrogen would to an extent because the atmospheres are a He/H mix and thus slightly denser than pure hydrogen. But the lifting power would not be very good.

Don't ask me how to get an airship into the atmosphere of Jupiter, though.


P.S.
How hard would it be to make a generic buoyant lift module for other add-ons?

 

[markp]

Also, Helium would not work on Jupiter/Saturn, but Hydrogen would to an extent because the atmospheres are a He/H mix and thus slightly denser than pure hydrogen. But the lifting power would not be very good.

Don't ask me how to get an airship into the atmosphere of Jupiter, though.


P.S.
How hard would it be to make a generic buoyant lift module for other add-ons?

Your right about Jupiter and Saturn. I hadn't even thought of going there in the airship but that might be interesting.

A generic buoyant lift module is probably of medium difficulty to make, i.e. it might take some effort to get right.

 

[boogabooga]

Had another idea:

Perhaps allow the ballonet to over-pressurize the envelope a bit past 500 bar to allow an easier descent. That would be useful when flying with positive buoyancy.