BradGuth wrote:
I'm certainly not looking for absolute perfection, but would you like
to help R&D this rigid airship anyway?

I think I can offer some guidance.
(Followups set to the only newsgroup I believe this thread now belongs.)
There are two resources you should begin with:

This paper:
"HIGH TEMPERATURE MATERIALS FOR VENUS BALLOON ENVELOPES"

Which you can find online he
http://trs-new.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/b.../1/95-0417.pdf

And this book, which is the most "modern" text available on the subject
of airship design:

"Airship Technology" Edited by Khoury and Gillett

Available he
http://www.amazon.com/Airship-Techno...29796&sr= 8-1

Other books and web sites worth adding to a research library on airships
include:

"Airship Design" by Burgess

Old but still useful and available he
http://www.amazon.com/Airship-Design...pd_sim_b_img_1

"Airship Aerodynamics" By the U.S. War Department

Originally intended for training of Navy airship personnel but a short
yet effective guide to basic concepts. Available he
http://www.amazon.com/Airship-Aerody..._bxgy_b_text_b

The website of the Experimental Lighter than Air organization:

http://www.xlta.org/

There are a couple of PDF docs worth downloading in the LIBRARY page and
further links to other sites in the LINKS page (naturally).

Hope some of this helps.