Out-to-Lunch
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
This is true. But forget about weather balloons -- I cringe more when I go to my grocery store that is pumping out birthday balloons by the score every day.
Last edited:
What's up with all these UFOs all of a sudden
- Thread starter SecondAttempt
- Start date
This is true. But forget about weather balloons -- I cringe more when I go to my grocery store that is pumping out birthday balloons by the score every day.
SecondAttempt
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
They use hydrogen.
SecondAttempt
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Helium is completely renewable and supply issues are more about international politics and logistics. Much of the world's helium is a byproduct of natural gas production. Gazprom, the Russian company was building 3 giant plants to serve a pipeline to China but those plants ran into difficulties and delays and are not operating yet. This had nothing to do with the Ukraine war although the war probably didn't help. Because Gazprom was building so much capacity most other projects were put on hold.
Helium is constantly lost to space at much higher rates than we use it and is replenished by radioactive decay in the earth's crust.
Montecfo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
The really disturbing thing to me is we only heard about this thing because someone looked up and said, "What the hell is that in the sky?"
No one seemed alarmed about it at all until everyday people started asking about it.
No one seemed alarmed about it at all until everyday people started asking about it.
Ronstar
Moderator Emeritus
Exactly, and after that they started shooting everything out of the sky. Including hobby balloons. Using $400k missiles.
Badger
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2008
- Messages
- 3,423
If that is true I would no longer buy those balloons. I envision a mini Hindenburg in my living room if it gets near a candle.
Cheers!
SecondAttempt
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I meant the hobbyists who fly these things around the world. It's in the article I posted upthread.
Hydrogen is actually pretty safe. There is an organization here on the Big Island pushing to put the busses on hydrogen. Hydrogen can be created almost for free and renewably by using solar power to electrolyze water. It is ideal for remote locations.
Personally I think the Hindenburg freaked everyone out and people will never accept hydrogen routinely. But there are plenty of organizations that think otherwise and are building demonstration level projects.
Nearly the same can be said for nuclear power as well. Very safe & reliable, but the few big-impact accidents (Chernobyl, 3 Mile Island, Fukushima) plus activist position to the resulting waste byproducts ... which all get either reprocessed into viable fuels (96%), stable or rapidly-decaying elements, or a very small amount of long-duration heavy metal byproducts. Although quantifiably safer than fossil fuels, there's too much fear/emotion behind it to have it really catch on anytime soon.
SecondAttempt
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Yep. I'm a fan of nuclear.
