A 21st-century zeppelin flies to San Francisco

And here's a closer look at a part of the frame. The zeppelin stands 57 feet high, and stem to stern the hull stretches for 246 feet. The gondola, meanwhile, is much smaller--just 35 feet long, it can carry two crew members and up to 13 passengers. The maximum take-off weight is just under 9 tons.

Its flight ceiling is a modest 6,500 feet. The zeppelin could stay aloft for as long as about 24 hours, according to Airship Ventures.

See: Zeppelin NT Fact Sheet (PDF)

Photo by Airship Ventures

Caption by Jonathan Skillings