Hindenburg Research Paper

Hindenburg: The Lifting Power of Hydrogen and Helium The Hindenburg is famously known for being the largest airship that ever flew before its devastating disaster in 1937. The Hindenburg wasn’t just a tragedy or disaster it is known for now. Scientists of that time admired it. The development of this aircraft has a great impact on the scientific community. The Hindenburg was completed in 1936 in Friedrichshafen, Germany by the Nazis. It was modeled LZ-129. The LZ-129 was approximately 804 feet long with a diameter of 135 feet. The Hindenburg’s first flight was on March 4th, 1936, carrying 55 crew members and 30 passengers. It lasted three hours and six minutes and flew about one-hundred twelve miles around the city. This allowed the crew to check the ships rudders among other things upon the ship. The
One of which was what gas to use. Helium and Hydrogen were the two main elements to choose from. Helium is heavier than Hydrogen but is more practical as far as safety goes. Helium is a non-flammable gas. Hydrogen, on the other hand, is the lightest element on earth and generates more lift than Helium by is highly flammable. . Originally the Hindenburg’s primary lifting gas was Helium because it was safe and a non-flammable gas. Unfortunately, the Zeppelin Company couldn’t use Helium because the United States owned a monopoly on Helium and outlawed its export. Ultimately the decision went to Hydrogen as the primary lifting gas for the Hindenburg. The Hindenburg disaster in 1937 had a major impact on the Zeppelin Industry. Although not the biggest airship disaster in history, it devastated the public because of its vast media coverage. Because of this, people wouldn’t travel on airships anymore. The Hindenburg disaster made the Zeppelin Industry realize that Helium was the only safest alternative to flammable Hydrogen. The Hindenburg is known now as the disaster that marks the end of the airship