There's a pretty good article on the subject here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5025388/

I'm dubious too, but based on their past accomplishments, the folks at JP Aerospace are impossible to dismiss as cranks. It's hard for me to imagine the airship-to-orbit thing working -- but the first two steps seem quite viable, and would be quite cool in any case.

When I heard about Airships To Orbit at Space Access, I had plenty of objections, too. Something about "drag" and "gravity losses". To which the folks at JP replied: "lift". Apparently the orbital V-ship will generate lift, via a subtle lifting-body shape. Now, I know that you can't really get lift at those altitudes from *wings*... but a six-thousand-foot-long lifting body...? I don't even know how to analyze the problem.

As for the propulsion system, they said they were looking at three different options. "Solar Ion Propulsion" was the only one they could talk about -- the other two are classified, and seem to be better options in any case. JP isn't the first company to suggest using an ion engine for atmospheric propulsion. The apparently-now-defunct "Sky Station company used something called a Corona Ion Engine for station-keeping, which supposedly puts out more than a grasshopper worth of thrust. (It occurs to me that such an engine might become more efficient as a craft went hypersonic and the airstream became naturally ionized).

Still don't really know if this'll work, but I guess they feel it's interesting enough to try.

Cheers,

Nathan.