World's largest zeppelin dedicated at NASA facility [246 foot Eureka at Moffitt Field, CA]

CNet ^ | November 21, 2008 | Daniel Terdiman

[Mike Fieschko]

The zeppelin, Eureka, sits on the tarmac at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif. The airship was dedicated Friday at an event celebrating the 75h anniversary of Moffett Field.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif.--NASA celebrated the 75th anniversary of this iconic airfield and research center on Friday by dedicating a brand-new zeppelin from a private company called Airship Ventures.

The zeppelin NT ("new technology"), which is one of just three currently functioning zeppelins that exist in the world, and the biggest, at 246 feet, was named "Eureka," a name that relates to the fact that the ship is based in California, as well as the fact that it is "rooted in scientific principles," said Brian Bell, a co-founder of Airship Ventures, the ship's owner, minutes before he revealed the new name.

At an event here to celebrate the two milestones, Alexandra Bell, also a co-founder of Airship Ventures, spoke of the experience of getting the zeppelin program off the ground. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), as well as Pete Worden, director of the NASA Ames Research Center, attended the event.

Airship Ventures is the first company in the United States to offer public access to zeppelins. And the company will be carrying paying passengers around the Bay Area, as well as helping NASA carry out scientific research.

The co-founders of Airship Ventures pull back the cover on the name of their brand-new zeppelin, the largest in the world, at the event Friday. The zeppelin is called the Eureka.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)

Brian Bell explained that Airship Ventures had a naming contest and received more than 1,500 submissions, five of which turned out to be "Eureka," a name that those involved in the company had already been thinking about anyway.

But Alexandra Bell said that the Eureka may not end up being Airship Ventures' only zeppelin (See video below of the first flight of the Eureka after its dedication).

"We decided we just have to get a couple more," she said, "so we can name them with some of the other wonderful names" we got.

While the Eureka is the largest currently functioning zeppelin, the airships from the golden age of zeppelins were much, much larger. The Hindenburg and the Graf Zeppelin were about 800 feet long, and the Macon, which was based at Moffat for a couple of years in the 1930s, was 785 feet long.

[BallyBill]

What could possibly go wrong?

[Ladysmith]

From their website:

The unique stability of the airship is based on rigid inner structure made of aluminum and carbon–fiber. All the main components such as the cabin, engines and empennage are mounted directly to this framework. This semi-rigid construction enables exceptional flight performance and allows for a quiet and stable passenger experience. The resulting low vibration also makes the Zeppelin NT an ideal platform for scientific missions allowing for sensitive test equipment to be mounted on board.

[shorty_harris]

All of my various spellings of zeppelin, should be “zeppelin”!

[P.O.E.]

[Little Ray]

It would be “just a dirigible.” However, due to popular ignorance, all rigid airships are zeppelins, just as all facial tissue is “kleenex” and all copiers are "xerox."

[yankeedame]

So the "World's Largest" zeppelin is just larger than the other two. I am not so impressed anymore.

B/c you know there's "the truth", and there's "the whole truth".

[SkyDancer]

I forgot the name they give jokes like that but it was funny though ... friend of mine has an RV made by Fleetwood and he calls it “Fleetwood Mac”

[ml/nj]

Wow! Isn't that swell! NASA is building zeppelins. I'm sure this will help bolster interstate commerce.

It's long past time to shut down NASA and let the children there look for real jobs.

ML/NJ

[Writesider]

“If they strung it with Light Emitting Diodes would it be the LED Zeppelin?”

only if it was named by Keith Moon

[Cyber Liberty]

At an event here to celebrate the two milestones, Alexandra Bell, also a co-founder of Airship Ventures, spoke of the experience of getting the zeppelin program off the ground. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), as well as Pete Worden, director of the NASA Ames Research Center, attended the event.

Proof positive that NASA loves pork as much as any other government entity.

[Mike Fieschko]

Wow! Isn't that swell! NASA is building zeppelins.

The article doesn't say that NASA built the airship, only that the airship was dedicated at a NASA facility. I hope the private company paid NASA for using the facility (that would be proper), but I don't know.

If you have any info that taxpayer dollars contributed to Eureka's design, construction, operation, etc., please post it.

[shorty_harris]

NASA Ames loves the rent money they get from Airship Ventures and the Google boys. It helps them offset the cost of operating the airfield.

[Monkey Face]

...It’s Moffett Field, of course.

Somehow, I remember it as Moffat Field. But that was 30 years ago, so what do I know?

[cynwoody]

If they strung it with Light Emitting Diodes would it be the LED Zeppelin?

Why not? There's already a LED blimp.

Lightships A-170 Video Blimp

[PLMerite]

I think it goes like “rigid airship” (zeppelin), “semi-rigid airship” and “blimp” (Goodyear).

[pbear8]

Saw it too. Is your Bday in Dec?

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

It is a Zeppelin — made by the Zeppelin company. The name should probably always be capitalized, so that it's not mistaken for a generic term. Airships comprise blimps (no supporting structure), dirigibles (some sort of supporting structure). Zeppelins are a brand of dirigible. The “NT” is justified — these New Technology Zeppelins bear little resemblance (besides the shape) to the Hindenburg.

I'm a huge fan of airships; if I were rich enough, I'd have one of these Zeppelins parked in my back yard.

[SunTzuWu]

Wow! Isn't that swell! NASA is building zeppelins. I'm sure this will help bolster interstate commerce. It's long past time to shut down NASA and let the children there look for real jobs.

First paragraph, first line.

"NASA celebrated the 75th anniversary of this iconic airfield and research center on Friday..."

[mowowie]

Same thing happend to me while mowing my aunts lawn during the 80’s.
I hear this weird buzzing sound and i look up and there’s the GY blimp Directly above me.
It was so close i could have hit it with a rock.

[PAR35]

Airships comprise blimps (no supporting structure), dirigibles (some sort of supporting structure).

Don't forget semi-rigids. I'm not sure the current generation isn't a hybrid between a dirigible and a semi-rigid.