1. Airships:
   • Definition: A general term for any lighter-than-air aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air.
   • Structure: Can be rigid, non-rigid, or semi-rigid based on their internal construction.
   • Lifting Gas: Typically filled with helium or hydrogen to achieve buoyancy.
   • Navigation: Have engines or propellers for steering and forward movement.
2. Dirigibles:
   • Definition: Originally referred to any airship that could be steered or directed. Often used interchangeably with “airship.”
   • Structure: Can include rigid, semi-rigid, or non-rigid designs. It’s more about steerability than structural design.
   • Lifting Gas: Like airships, typically filled with helium or hydrogen.
   • Navigation: Equipped with engines or propellers for direction and movement.
3. Blimps:
   • Definition: A subset of airships with a non-rigid structure.
   • Structure: Lacks an internal framework, maintaining shape due to the pressure of the lifting gas inside.
   • Lifting Gas: Usually helium, which provides lift and buoyancy.
   • Navigation: Uses engines or propellers for direction and movement.
4. Hot Air Balloons:
   • Definition: A lighter-than-air aircraft where buoyancy is achieved by heating air inside the balloon’s envelope.
   • Structure: Non-rigid; shape maintained when air inside is heated.
   • Lifting Gas: Doesn’t use helium or hydrogen. Instead, relies on heated air for lift.
   • Navigation: Lacks direct steering mechanisms like propellers or engines. Direction is primarily controlled by ascending or descending to catch prevailing wind currents, and buoyancy is controlled by heating or cooling the air inside the envelope.

Key Distinctions:

• Airships, blimps, and dirigibles are filled with a lifting gas (like helium or hydrogen) and have propulsion systems for navigation.
• Hot air balloons use heated air for buoyancy and don’t have built-in propulsion systems for navigation. Instead, they rely on wind currents and the skill of the balloonist to control the burner.

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