Nature, 1919, Use of Helium for Aircraft Purposes
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"Helium, as it is known, is most suitable as a filling for airship envelopes, in that it is non-inflammable and non-explosive, and, if desired, the engine may be placed within the envelope. By its use it is also possible to secure additional buoyancy by heating the gas (electrically or otherwise), ad this fact might possibly lead to considerable modifications int he technique of airship manœuvres and navigation. The loss of gas from diffusion through the envelope is also less with helium than with hydrogen, but, on the other hand, the lifting power of helium is about 10 per cent. less than that of hydrogen."
The article describes accelerated efforts at helium extraction conducted during the war and concludes that helium airships, so recently considered impossible or impractical, now seem entirely possible. (It does not mention that any airship has actually yet been filled with helium.)
| Original title | The Use of Helium for Aircraft Purposes |
|---|---|
| Simple title | The Use of Helium for Aircraft Purposes |
| Authors | |
| Date | 1919-02-20 |
| Countries | US |
| Languages | en |
| Keywords | helium, gas, airship, balloon, hydrogen, military, Richard Threlfall, John Cunningham McLennan, Ernest Rutherford, U.S. Bureau of Mines, United States Navy |
| Journal | Nature |
| Related to aircraft? | 1 |
| Page count | 2 |
| Word count | |
| Wikidata id |
