Some aeronautical engineers see atomic airships dominating skies

01-17-2011 • Terrence Aym

Thanks to Toshiba's new generation of micro-nuclear reactors, the dream of some engineers may finally become a reality. No, the reactors aren't small enough to fit into the DeLorean Dr. Emmett Brown drove in "Back to the Future," but they are compact and light enough to power super-airships. If nuclear-powered dirigibles of the sky do become a reality, they won't have to land very often. Theoretically they could remain airborne for a year or more. And they would be massive. Some designs call for airships more than a half mile long. Imagine one of those flying overhead...