The two-day Cargo Airships for Northern Operations Workshop in Anchorage, Alaska kicked off Aug. 24, 2011. The workshop is co-organized by the State of Alaska and NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

The workshop will be held at the University of Alaska Anchorage. It will focus on operational considerations and requirements of heavy-lift cargo airships. Participants will discuss practical approaches to developing and deploying airship systems for commercial transport of goods and materials.

"The first 'A' in 'NASA' stands for 'aeronautics,'" said Pete Worden, center director of Ames.

"One of NASA's jobs is to solve the nation's air transportation challenges with research, and airships haven't seen much research in the past few decades. They are potentially an effective solution for challenges that exist in this part of the country."

Airship experts will describe both the possibilities heavy lift airship transport offers, and the challenges of developing practical and cost effective airship systems.

An introduction to the basics of airship technologies, regulatory issues, weather issues, the likely capabilities and limitations of heavy lift airships and the current to near-term technology readiness of these aircraft will also be presented.

Those expected to attend include commercial shipping companies, air freight companies, airship companies and aerospace vendors, U.S. and Canadian government organizations that employ cargo transport systems, construction companies, resource extraction companies, researchers from government and academia, government transportation agencies, military organizations, non-governmental organizations and humanitarian relief agencies.