Inhaltsangabe
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER III DIRIGIBLE BALLOONS TO the adventurous or the scientific mind there must have always been something irritating in the difficulty of controlling the ordinary balloon according to one's wishes. Nonsteerable and non-propellable as it is, the balloon is completely at the mercy of the wind, and even the most skilful aeronaut has little power in shaping a course. But though attempts were made in the last century to adopt steam or electric power, the problem of making a dirigible balloon had to remain unsolved until the coming of the petrol motor. It may be truly said that the airship in any form was impossible until the internal combustion engine was perfected, and came to be the light, simple, compact and efficient power producer that it is to-day. The motor-car has thus led the way for the airship, and we may expect the most successful aeronauts in the future to be possessed of no mean mechanical skill, in addition to the other attributes that are called for in navigating the air. The mistaken idea of attaching sails to balloons led to variations in the shapes of the vessels, and the suggestion was obvious that a fishlike shape would be the most suitable. But while hopeless efforts were being made to produce dirigible balloons in the eighteenth century, a most remarkable invention was made by a distinguished Frenchman, General Meusnier, which had a great influence on all subsequent designs. He planned an egg-shaped balloon, of which the gas envelope was surrounded by another envelope into which air was pumped. Meusnier was thus the originator of the balloonet, or air bladder, which is an important part of almost every modern airship. By his device air is used as ballast, in this wise: When the space between the two envelopes is filled with compress...
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