1937
Lakehurst, New Jersey
The last, tragic moments of the German airship Hindenburg, engulfed in flames and falling to earth, were captured on film and described live by an emotional radio announcer. Millions heard his tearful voice crying out, “Oh, the humanity!” These days we have become accustomed to seeing dramatic events unfold in real time, but in the 1930s, the experience was new and unsettling. The entire world had become a witness to the disaster at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey.
Mystery still surrounds the reason for the crash, and that uncertainty set the airship industry back by decades. Will airships ever make their return in big numbers? That might only happen when we work out the real reason for this fiery crash.
What Went Wrong?
Back in the early 1930s, most people wishing to cross the Atlantic had to travel by ship, a trip that took about a week. Commercial air travel existed, but planes just weren’t big or powerful enough to carry the extra fuel that passengers and their baggage would require for such a long journey. Plus, most of those passenger planes were cramped and uncomfortable—even compared to today’s economy seats!
In 1930, Germany provided an alternative that combined the comfort and luxury of ocean liners with the speed of air travel. Passenger services began that year on airships, huge cigar-shaped inflatable balloons with engines and cabins attached. These airships were sometimes called zeppelins, after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who designed the first one in 1895. Zeppelins had appeared in the skies before, as bombers during World War I. When Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party took control of Germany in 1933, the new zeppelins were a symbol of national pride and engineering power.
In 1936, Germany launched the LZ 129 Hindenburg. At more than 800 feet long and 130 feet wide, it was the largest aircraft ever to fly. As many as 50 crew members piloted the craft and saw to the needs of up to 72 passengers on each crossing from Germany to a special landing field at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey.
After almost 20 successful round-trips across the Atlantic Ocean, the last journey began in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 4, 1937. Two days later, the Hindenburg passed majestically over New York City and approached its landing field in New Jersey. It was delayed for about an hour by thunderstorms and hovered in the area until conditions improved. With the Hindenburg about 200 feet up, the captain finally ordered mooring ropes to be lowered so the ground crew could guide the airship down safely.
Then witnesses on the ground saw a blue glow on top of the Hindenburg, followed by flames near its tail. A split-second later, a huge explosion turned the airship into a fireball. Still burning ferociously, the zeppelin began to break up and settle to earth. The Hindenburg had been destroyed, along with—it seemed—the future of airships.
Turn Back the Clock
The Hindenburg crash is as much a mystery story as it is an engineering and design failure. With World War II drawing near, had people with anti-Nazi views sabotaged the mighty airship? That was certainly the conclusion of many proud Germans, who wouldn’t accept that the airship might have been the victim of poor design or construction.
sabotage
Destroying or damaging something deliberately, and usually secretly.
Sabotage, design, and construction lead to one word: hydrogen. The Hindenburg floated above the ground because its “envelope” (the cigar-shaped balloon) was filled with the gas hydrogen. Hydrogen is the lightest chemical element—much lighter than air—so it provided the necessary lift to make the ship fly. Hydrogen is also known for igniting quickly and easily. Airships using hydrogen needed protective measures to keep the gas away from open flames or sudden heat.
Most people agree that the Hindenburg crashed because its hydrogen ignited. The question of how is still a mystery that fills pages of books and the Internet. It’s unlikely that the airship was sabotaged, because German officials had checked the details of the crew and passengers before the flight. Likewise, the U.S. military would have noticed any gunshot, bomb, or other attempts to ignite the hydrogen from someone on the ground.
Modern aircraft engineers have examined films of the Hindenburg crash to try to solve the mystery. One theory suggests that static electricity traveled 200 feet up the mooring cables and caused a spark that ignited the hydrogen. Another says that the electrical storms that evening caused a spark in the metal framework, which then set things off.
These days, airships are used for advertising, observation, and exploration, and some are once more being used for transportation. Not surprisingly, modern airships no longer use hydrogen: Their “lifting gas” is either helium or hot air (which uses the same principle as hot-air balloons). So the answer to the question “How could this disaster have been avoided?” is pretty simple: Skip the hydrogen next time!
Why Not Helium?
If hydrogen is so dangerous, why didn’t the Germans fill the Hindenburg ’s envelope with helium? After all, the party balloon–filling gas is almost as light as hydrogen and doesn’t burn. Well, in the 1930s, helium was much rarer than hydrogen, and the United States was the only country that had much of it. Americans were in no rush to give any helium to the Germans, and Congress had recently passed the Helium Control Act of 1927, banning exports of the gas.
One of the likeliest causes of the Hindenburg explosion was a buildup of static electricity caused by the electrical storms in the area. According to this theory, dropping the mooring cables grounded the airship, creating a flow of electrons and sparks, and it was one of those sparks that lit the hydrogen. But your demonstration can show how even a small amount of static electricity can pack a huge punch.
This awesome experiment works really well if you have a long stretch of smooth floor, like a school hallway (but you might want to steer clear of the principal’s office). You can even turn the demonstration into a contest, to see who can pull their can the farthest.
YOU WILL NEED
➤ 1 to 3 friends
➤ 1 balloon per person
➤ 1 empty soda can per person
➤ Long straight hallway or other open stretch of smooth floor
➤ Wool cloth (optional)
METHOD
1. Each “player” should blow up a balloon and tie it. Each takes the next steps in turn.
2. Lay the soda can on the floor so that it could roll down the hall.
3. Rub the balloon vigorously against your hair (or wool cloth if your hair is too short).
4. Stand in front of the can, facing toward it, and lower the balloon.
5. The can will roll toward the balloon. That’s when the person has to walk slowly backward, keeping the can rolling.
6. The person who rolls the can the farthest without letting it stop is the winner.
WHAT’S UP?
You’re working with static electricity here, but luckily it’s not going to produce a Hindenburg-style disaster. Rubbing the balloon against your hair causes electrons (negatively charged particles) to be rubbed off onto the balloon’s surface. That gives the balloon a negative charge. The surface of the can is slightly positive, so the opposites attract. The positively charged can then follows the balloon until the can has attracted enough of the balloon’s electrons to make the charges equal.
The key to the Hindenburg disaster was the way in which the hydrogen ignited so quickly, causing the explosion. One current theory about why this happened blames the type of paint on the outside of the envelope (balloon section). This paint contained chemicals to add strength to the envelope’s shell, making it fly more securely.
The humongous problem was that this paint was extremely flammable—definitely a bad idea. Modern airships, even though they no longer use hydrogen as a lifting gas, must combine stability with being fireproof. You can run a quick test with this experiment to show how a very basic ingredient can be used to protect the shell of a balloon against flames.
This isn’t a dangerous experiment, but the goggles and glove are a precaution in case things blow quickly and catch you off guard.
YOU WILL NEED
➤ Matches
➤ Candle (ideally the sort that sits in a glass cup)
➤ 2 or 3 party balloons
➤ Goggles
➤ Glove
➤ Measuring cup
➤ Water
➤ Friend
METHOD
1. Light the candle and leave it burning on top of a table.
2. Blow up a balloon and tie it shut.
3. Put on the goggles, then put a glove on one hand and hold the balloon with that hand.
4. Slowly and carefully lower the balloon down toward the burning candle. It should pop just above the candle.
5. Now fill the measuring cup with water and ask your friend to hold the mouth of another balloon open.
6. Pour as much water as you can into the balloon. This will probably amount to 2 to 3 tablespoons.
7. Blow up the balloon and tie it.
8. Repeats Steps 3 and 4. Hold the balloon over the candle for 5 seconds—it shouldn’t burst.
WHAT’S UP?
You’ve just used one of the qualities of water to “treat” (using one substance to strengthen another) the shell of the balloon—it absorbs the heat of the flame rather than letting that heat burn a hole through the balloon’s skin. Modern airship skins don’t use water, but their fabric is treated with materials that either resist or absorb heat to prevent explosions.
