Dieser Weiße Wal hat es sogar schon bis nach Australien geschafft
Quelle: Sunday Herald Sun, Australien
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ ... 63,00.html
February 03, 2008 12:00am
Super-airship will float you around the world
WITH its fins and whale-like shape, it resembles Thunderbird 2 from the famous children's TV program.
But, unlike the huge rescue rocket in the puppet series, this gigantic airship will not be blasting off to an emergency.
Instead, its designers say it will gently lift 40 passengers into the sky for a serene cruise of the world.
According to its designers, the floating hotel called the Manned Cloud will be capable of circling the globe in a few days.
Twenty bedrooms will provide extraordinary views as the airship cruises at a height of 18,000ft.
There will be a restaurant, library, lounge and gym on the first deck and the second deck will house 20 guest rooms, terraces with panoramic windows, a spa and bar.
The airship will be powered by a giant rear propeller and two more engines pointing downwards for vertical take-off.
However, if you are thinking of checking in, you will have to wait until its expected launch date of 2020.
French company Massaud is billing the airship as an ecologically friendly way to travel.
A spokesman for Massaud, Aurlie Ullrich, said: "The idea at the heart of this project is that passengers can see fantastic places without the need to build ugly hotels everywhere. It could land for a few days or for a week if there is a big event going on.
"We don't want to be carrying around gallons and gallons of heavy petrol or diesel and we are looking into fuelling it with some form of helium gas."
The cost of a night on the airship is likely to be out of the reach of most pockets. But a flight would be a unique experience with:
THE Manned Cloud almost 213m long, 82m wide and 52m deep.
A STAFF of 15 to look after 40 passengers.
A TOP speed of 170km/h and a cruising speed of 130km/h, which would mean the airship could circle the globe in about 10 days (and not the three claimed by the designers).
THE ability to travel for 5000km (or across the US) before refuelling with helium gas.