Our lives are surprisingly dependent upon this extremely light and unreactive gas, yet supplies of it are remarkably fragile.

The AT2 Aerospace Z1 airship aims to use a combination of hydrogen-powered thrust vectoring and helium buoyancy to efficiently carry people and goods over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) per trip.

Helium is often used to fill party balloons, weather balloons and airships due to its low density. Deep-sea divers rely on helium to control the proportions of oxygen and nitrogen they get from ...

Airlander 10 is a hybrid 98m-long airship developed by Bedfordshire company Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), made up of a helium airship, wings, tails and four propellers. According to the company ...

It also uses a landing gear adapted from the Zeppelin NT, with LTA having a working relationship with the company behind that airship. Finally, it uses 13 helium bags made of ripstop nylon fabric ...

In a twist on their cigar-shaped predecessors, modern airships tend to more closely resemble massive, floating rugby balls. Filled with helium or hydrogen, the main body can be either a balloon or ...

Back then, it was a true blimp — that is, a giant, soft balloon full of helium. Today's Goodyear blimps — the company has a trio of the airships spread across Ohio, California and Florida ...