Jean-Louis Etienne - Total Pole Airship


	• Lighter-than-air ships

	• How man copes with the cold

	• Organisation of the measurement flights

	• Flying conditions and risks during the expedition

	• The measurement campaign

	• Communications - Safety - Emergency assistance

	• Earth observation satellites

	• Our airship


	• The earth's atmosphere

	• Weather forecasting and modeling

	• The climate and the north pole

	• The solar energy balance

	• The greenhouse effect


	• The ice pack: frozen saltwater

	• Icebergs : frozen seawater

	• The arctic ice: climate archives

	• Ice ages and landscapes


	• The Arctic Ocean and the ocean currents

	• Genesis of the arctic ocean

	• Arctic plankton

	• Oceanic biodiversity and the food chain

	• Whales and other cetaceans

	• Seals and walruses


	• Arctic flora

	• Arctic fauna

	• Polar bears

	• Birds of the arctic

	• Evolution of species and climate


	• Geography of the Arctic regions

	• Geographic North Pole and magnetic North Pole

	• Who owns the arctic?

	• Exploring the deep north

	• The Inuit people

	• The other peoples of the deep North

	• The Arctic today


	• Man and arctic biodiversity

	• Pollution in the arctic

	• Climate warming: the natural cycles

	• The increase in the greenhouse effect

	• The impact of global warming

An airship at the North Pole Our airship

Semi-rigid airships and blimps
There are two kinds of airship in use today, semi-rigid airships and blimps. Semi-rigid airships, like the Zeppelin NT, have a backbone structure to which are attached the nacelle/gondola and the envelope. A blimp is simply a gas envelope with a nacelle slung underneath; its shape is maintained by the outward pressure of the gas inside.

Built in Russia
Our airship is a blimp, built in Moscow by the Russian company RosAeroSystem. It is the third in a new series of Au 30 airships. The first two in the series are used for surveillance of high-tension lines in Russia and the fourth will be used to monitor traffic conditions in Moscow.

Characteristics
Our airship is 55 m long, 17.5 m high and 14 m wide. Its envelope is filled with 5,000 m3 of helium. The airship has a payload of 1,500 kg, including fuel (800 litres), the crew (pilot, co-pilot and two scientists) and measuring devices (150 kg). The airship is driven by two 170-hp propeller engines.

Assembly and training flights
The airship's nacelle and envelope will be assembled in the Boussirons hangar at Marseille-Marignane airport. Acceptance flights, pilot training courses and training flights will be organised between September 2007 and March 2008.