this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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Helium has problems of its own, sadly. Besides being a little bit less effective at actually lifting, it's relatively scarce on Earth and it leaks even faster than hydrogen
I believe we're also already getting dangerously close to depleting our supply of helium, as well.
That's actually not a big deal for blimps. Blimps don't lose a lot of helium, they only need to be serviced for if like once a year. When people say we have a helium crisis, they're talking about high-purity helium for advanced medical work and advanced science.
Phew, so it's only a crisis for important shit. Dodged a bullet there! :D
As I understand it - with the disclaimer that I have no particular expertise or experience in the matter - it's not quite as dire as that. Historically the USA accounted for basically the entire world's production, and American reserves that are known and economical to access are getting within something like 50 years of running out. However, other countries have begun to produce much more substantially in recent years, and we probably do have enough to last a good while once the rest of world reserves are accounted for
However it is still functionally non-renewable and meaningfully finite, so we shouldn't waste it
The moon has it.
Meaning we can mine it all there until we risk fucking with our tides or awaken SpaCe’thulu
I mean, we could be using the heavier neon, which is also a noble gas and lighter than air. But it's almost as rare as helium, and you'd need significantly more of it to produce the same lift.