Abstract: An integrated all-weather observation/interpretation system in which a lighter-than-air vehicle ascends to a stationary position above the surface with a suspended gondola which carries passengers so that they can observe the surrounding area and experience a directly related interpretation program. The gondola includes a suitable observation window as well as a slide or motion-picture projection device, with audio and olfactory accompaniment, to provide a juxtaposed interpretation. The vehicle is raised, lowered and rotated through strategically placed electrically powered rotors and/or ground-based electric winches and elevation lines and/or a pantograph operating from a turntable inside the vehicle's ground nest. Screens on the ground are also provided for slide or motion-picture projection to simulate the view under weather conditions when the vehicle cannot be elevated.