They've been making these airballs and blimps for a long time and can have the covering in any color. Man, I'm finding all kinds of interesting stuff on these things. Here's an interesting timeline:



In 1994 is when they started putting the carriage inside the craft, and that blimp I saw must have had it inside too, because it wasn't hanging down.

 

"The next phase of our development is already under way with the construction of a massive airship having a volume of 37,000m3 (1,300,000ft3). This airship will be tested at an altitude of 12,000m (40,000ft). The third and final phase will be the designing and building of a full-scale airship, approximately 79m (260-ft) in diameter, depending on payload. With a volume of 257,000m3 (9,000,000ft3), this will be the largest airship ever built. During flight testing, our airships are manned and piloted but will be autonomous during regular operations.

Some of its other advantages are: Most volume efficient shape Least surface area versus volume - translates into the lowest leakage rate for the lifting gas Easier to spread the weight of the payload without affecting balance (pitch) Manoeuverable at any speed, able to turn "on a dime" without the need for airflow over fins/rudders/elevators Uncomplicated and more stable to launch Able to achieve speeds exceeding 100-knots at 20-kilometers (12.5-miles) altitude where the air density is approximately 6% that at sea level Eventually able to stay on station for a year or more providing services ranging from telecommunications to environmental monitoring

Christy