Links: Panoramio Heat Maps, See Russia?, 1m LiDAR, Airship - Google Earth Blog - It's all interesting, but I'm posting specifically on the airship part because of a little space prize connection:
They created a Google Maps airship tracking map so you could watch it travel along. ... the good news is that Airship Ventures is setting up for tours at Moffett Field in California (one of the few remaining locations with large airship hangars - and right next door to the Google Headquarters). I actually met the husband and wife team which started this venture at the X Prize Cup last fall. Hopefully they'll be setting up some Google Earth files for tracking their tours as they fly over the San Francisco sights.
Up Ship! - their blog, full of airship pictures