The Airship Nazca project was announced at the DGLR / Airship Association Convention in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in October 2008 when John Christopher presented a paper entitled: Airship Platforms for Photographic and Geophysical Surveying of Threatened Heritage Sites.

UNESCO's World Heritage Sites represent some of the greatest cultural and natural wonders of our planet. There is evidence, however, that many face irredeemable damage as the result of increasing tourist numbers and the impact of climate change with consequent severe weather events. To highlight the plight of these endangered sites and to record them as accurately as possible before further damage occurs, the Airship Nazca Project will focus on one high-profile location; the geoglyphs covering the plains of Nazca in Peru. The airship will provide a stable and environmentally non-intrusive platform from which to conduct a low-level photographic and geophysical survey. The imagery and data from the Airship Nazca survey will be diseminated via interactive internet access during the mission itself, and through a permanent database to be established in association with Bristol University. The project will also serve as a test-bed for the airship, its operation, the equipment and methods of transmitting and handling the resulting data.