An interesting article on a scientific experiment carried out during R.100’s transatlantic crossing to Canada in 1930.
And it’s always flattering to be quoted by the BBC.
An interesting article on a scientific experiment carried out during R.100’s transatlantic crossing to Canada in 1930.
And it’s always flattering to be quoted by the BBC.
Yesterday, I came across this from the following article:
http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/impatiens-disease-becomes-hot-topic
‘It’s been suggested that “snowbirds†going to Florida homes for the winter could have unwittingly taken infected plants with them, she said. She also pointed out that the airborne spores could have hop-scotched their way to Florida on wind currents from infections in the Upper Midwest. “Spores of another downy mildew species have been projected to travel as much as 600 miles in 48 hours given the right environmental conditions,†Warfield said.’
The main problem with the R-100 petri dishes was the location of the ship and how much any spores were dispersed. If the R-100 was not in the air current nor the altitude the spores were in then nothing would be collected. If the spores were too dispersed and the R-100 in the right current at the right altitude then the same problem. So this is hit or miss.
Now if the impatiens disease could travel windborne for 600 miles, could it travel windborne over much longer distances? I think that with an airship like the Airlander with its endurance and altitude capabilities and a computer generated model of spore dispersal by wind we might map out how some of these plant diseases travel. The computer generated model will give us a better guess at where to put the ship.
This is personal. 🙁 Last year my impatiens were doing very well until the end of July when they just died out. I’ve always had impatiens in that spot, and they’ve done well lasting until the first hard frost.
Great article! Certainly enlightening, considering in the various reading I’ve done on R100 I’d never come across mention of this. Simply fascinating. Like so much in the history of LTA, one can only speculate what results could have been gathered via the “scientific” airship.
The nod to our current space exploration was also a nice touch.
The up and coming Airlander looks like just the ship that scientists could use for planetary research and observations. It could be specifically out fitted for this task and definitely has the range and endurance.
In the meantime, if they ever invent a time machine, I’d like to send the office coffee mess refrigerator with its “science experiments” to Dillon Weston. Can spores travel through time. 🙂
Certainly an interesting way to make use of something that isn’t benefiting you much.
Thinking about that, it’s basically a manned-science balloon.
Actually like this article, it seems like a great idea to have an Airship dedicated to scientists, that they could use to fly around the world and do their planetary research and observations.