Memories of the Hindenburg and its nightmarishly igneous end have, for decades now, haunted the airship industry. Floating aircraft are regarded by many as unsafe, and by more still as impractical. But at least one company is attempting to do away with these perceptions, while breathing life back into the deflating…

Airships, the silent, futuristic vessels that float through the skies of alternate histories and ecotopias, aren't just the stuff of science fiction. Here are ten airship that exist today, or are under development for tomorrow.

Where you and I might walk our dogs around the block, retired engineer Jack Clemens walks his own working airship, a perfect model of a naval airship that was destroyed in 1935.

Ever since the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, airships have been a largely abandoned technology, their continued existence consigned to being a quick shorthand for alternate universes in science fiction. But now, 75 years later, airships might be ready to return.

What if the pilgrims arrived in America to discover a more advanced civilization than they ever imagined? This striking image of the Mayflower II, escorted by a Navy airship, suggests an alternate history of the pilgrims' landing. [Thanks, Marilyn!]

It may not fly, but this zeppelin-shaped retreat built among the trees lets you imagine that you live in an airship floating high above the ground. And, if you happen to pass through Victoria, Australia, it's available to rent.