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Blimps making a comeback, in near-space

near-space blimp

Horrific crashes aside, airships may once again rule the skies. Well, at least the skies in near-space (65,000 - 350,000 feet). Advances in fabrics, solar/fuel-cells, and batteries make these neo-blimps ideal for spying, communications, and moving equipment about (albeit, very very slowly). The Air Force concluded just that after conducting a number of demonstrations in recent months — to sum it up: they're cheap satellites. Oh the humanity!