World's Largest Blimp Headed Our Way

Moffett Field is about to get a new and massive tenant. 

The world's largest airship is going to arrive early next year in crates.  NASA will spend a few weeks putting it together in Hangar 2 and then it will launch sometime in February, according to NASA

It's bigger, which means there is more room for helium. That will allow the "Bullet Class 580" to rise to 22,000-feet. Normal airships hang around 5,000-feet.  The new ship is also green and runs on biofuel.

"Although traditional blimps have been around for centuries, they have undergone surprisingly little evolution throughout their more than 150-year history," John Youngbeck, the company's vice president of manufacturing, said in a statement posted on the San Jose Mercury News. "Our airships, including the Bullet Class 580, are radically different in design." 

So what is the purpose?  It looks like it will be used for science and pleasure.  The spokesperson for the company who manufactured the ship says its first flight will carry a something to measure barometric pressure, but that it can be used to carry military and communication satellites as well as private rides. The Zeppelin tour folks at Moffett must be thrilled to hear that last pitch.

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