Airship

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/airship

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the first rigid airship?LZ 1, launched by Ferdinand von Zeppelin in 1900
2. What is the primary lifting gas (historical)?Hydrogen
3. How do airships stay up in the sky?Airships stay up because the gas inside their envelope is lighter than the surrounding air. This creates an upward force that balances the weight of the airship. The principle is called buoyancy.
4. Why did airships stop being used for passengers?Airships were risky because some used hydrogen, which can burn. Fast and safer airplanes also became popular. After accidents like the Hindenburg, people preferred planes for travel.

Aerodynamic Lift: The force generated by the movement of air over a surface, like an airplane wing.
Envelope: The outer skin or casing of an airship that contains the lifting gas.
Payload: The maximum amount of weight an aircraft can carry, including passengers and cargo.