Solar Powered blimp cold hover on one spot for a year, while conducting surveillances.

U.S. researchers are developing a high-altitude, helium-filled aircraft that could hover over the same spot for up to a year, and be big enough and be able to carry a payload big enough to conduct surveillances. It would be better than satellites because they are closer to the Earth and they are cheaper than satellites. It would also stay above 65.000 FT that is well above Commercial Jets and most military jets.

Solar-Powered Blimp

im pretty sure most of the military jets we have now can go above 65,000 ft. but think about this, it can hover in one spot for up to a year, how much do you think that would cost in fuel? i bet it would be somewhere around the expense of a satellite being that you cant shoot down a satellite. well, i guess you can shoot down a satellite, but not as easily.

apparently dude the topic is a "solar" powerd air blimp so it would'nt really cost to keep it up in the air unless your buying solar rays from the sun

Why would they want to use security camera's on blimps for up to a year??? What exactly would they be watching 65,000ft in the air??

Interesting link:
www.spy.org.uk...

The cameras would be pointed at the ground.

THe whole space sattelite thing is probably a myth, and this is what we have been using for the last 40 years.

You people want this home spy technology pointed at you?!? What the heck, I want freedom not some mob with flags trying to keep us from doing anything without bigbrother looking at you!

Dont flush your freedom, the boogie man is in Washington DC!

Nevermind, this is hopeless....

this is to Lepracornman. it said a helium powered balloon. J@ck@**

cool idea and far more cost effective than satellites.....just wondering what or who they will be pointing it at?...but then again...we will probably never know.
Anything that can survive using 'natural' power sources has to be a good thing, plus that thing will probably have a longer life span than a satellite?

And baloons/blimps can be made stealthy too guys. Some nations may have no ability to detect one, let alone shoot one down. And so what if they did? No human casualties and relative low cost. These are great ideas.

This technology is cool, hopefully they will use it to improve our communications and wireless infrastructure. Not just to spy on it's own and other countrie's citizens