X-Message-Number: 14398
From: 
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 06:12:11 EDT
Subject: Back to 21st century: Flying carpet

Flying carpets

At the end of 21st century, there could be some flying carpet
Balloons and airships technologies have been bolcked in the
20th century by wars: They are too sensitive to destructive
systems and so connot be used in a world where war in
endemic. The next century can't see global wars and so
airships must thrive.

The biggest can't have a diameter larger than 150 m because
the building hall would be too large. On the other hand, the modular
technology allows to make kilometers long ships. Unfortunately, they
become too frail. The solution is then to have many cylinders side by
side so that a more sturdy structure may be built. A very large airship
would then be 150 m high, may be 2 km long and 1km width, it is a
flying carpet with near 100 000 tons capacity.

A flying carpet could move a factory anywhere in the world, it would
reduce to near nothing transportation costs and you could even live
year round on one of them. The strategic value of sea and harbors
would disapear. Sea transport would be a thing of the past, it is unlikely
that custom and country boundaries would survive.

Yvan Bozzonetti.

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