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    Default Solar Impulse plane starts bid to cross US 2013





    3 May 2013 Last updated at 14:21

    Solar Impulse plane starts bid to cross USSolar Impulse takes off from Moffett Field
    Solar Impulse took off from Moffett Field just as the Sun was coming up


    A plane powered only by the Sun has set off from San Francisco on the first leg of a
    bid to cross the US with no fuel.The Solar Impulse craft will stop in Phoenix, Dallas,
    St Louis, Washington DC and New York in the coming weeks.The team's plane has
    the same wingspan as an Airbus A340 but weighs only as much as an average car.
    It has already made a day-and-night flight lasting more than 26 hours, and the
    team aims to eventually circumnavigate the globe in 2015.

    The plane took off from Moffett Field on the edge of San Francisco Bay at 06:12
    local time (13:12 GMT). It should take about 19 hours to complete the first leg of
    the American crossing to Phoenix.

    The craft's wings and stabiliser are covered with nearly 12,000 solar cells, which in
    daylight hours charge an array of lithium-ion batteries in gondolas that hang below
    the wing. Together, these provide power to the plane's four electric motors and
    allow flight in daylight and night conditions.





    The Solar Impulse HB-SIA
    Solar impulse plane infographic



    Wingspan - 63m (208ft)
    Weight - 1,600kg (3,500lb)
    Covered with 11,628 solar cells
    Carries 400kg (900lb) of lithium-ion batteries
    Maximum cruising altitude of 8,500m (28,000ft)

    The HB-SIA craft is being piloted by Bertrand Piccard, a co-founder of the effort,
    who is perhaps best known for being the first person to circumnavigate the globe in
    a hot-air balloon, in 1999.The trans-America bid is the first attempt of its kind with
    a zero-fuel aircraft.Together with co-founder and entrepreneur Andre Borschberg,
    the pair of Swiss pilots have racked up a number of world records and milestones in
    recent years.

    The first night flight of a solar-powered craft in 2010 was followed by a first
    international flight in 2011, and first inter-continental flight in 2012.
    The two will share the job of flying the plane between each of the stops of the tour.
    Mr Borschberg said that the atmosphere was "extremely good" ahead of the launch.
    "We've peen preparing for this flight since last summer, so we are all very excited,"
    he told BBC News.The current aircraft HB-SIA is effectively the prototype for the
    craft that will eventually be used for transoceanic flights and the round-the-world
    trip. The HB-SIB should be completed by the end of 2013.

    "You should see this like being in 1915 when the pioneers were trying to do these
    first cross-country flights - still unable to cross the ocean, but an important step for
    the development of aviation," Mr Borschberg said.The launch on Friday is to serve
    as the start of the pair's Clean Generation Initiative, an effort to encourage policy-
    makers and businesses to develop and adopt sustainable energy technologies.

    "We want to show that with clean technologies, a passionate team and a far-
    reaching pioneering vision, one can achieve the impossible," Dr Piccard said at the
    announcement of the mission in March.Solar Impulse plane over San Francisco The
    craft has been making test flights in recent weeks over the San Francisco Bay area


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22369680


    Solar Impulse Across America 2013



    Published on 27 Feb 2013


    Solar Impulse is an innovative project leveraging technological prowess and the
    spirit of adventure by means of an airplane. It was launched in 2003 by a visionary
    and an entrepreneur, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, challenging common
    certitudes and making room for a glimpse into a more sustainable future.

    The project's raison d'être is to spread a message by flying in the skies powered
    solely by solar energy. Having completed its first 26-hour flight through the night in
    2010 and the world's first intercontinental flight connecting Europe to Africa in 2012
    , Solar Impulse's HB-SIA prototype is eager to participate in a new challenge: the
    celebrated coast-to-coast crossing of the United States, San Francisco to
    Washington D.C. and New York City. Originally unplanned, the perfect opportunity
    for this new adventure emerged after the decision to rebuild Solar Impulse's second
    generation aircraft's wing spar.

    This year's Across America mission is scheduled to kick-off starting May 1st, flying
    from San Francisco to the nation's Capital and the Big Apple, with 2-3 stopovers on
    the way.The project's ultimate goal is to fly around the world in 2015 with the
    second prototype aircraft, HB-SIB. Eleven percent larger, HB-SIB is designed to
    cross Oceans and more humid climates from east to west in the northern
    hemisphere.
    Last edited by Cidersomerset; 3rd May 2013 at 19:57.

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    Default Re: Solar Impulse plane starts bid to cross US 2013

    fyi Bob (and his brother) already achieved something similar this in the 1970's !!

    take notice of the interested parties and join some dots
    Last edited by Aurelius; 4th May 2013 at 01:22.

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    Default Re: Solar Impulse plane starts bid to cross US 2013




    Solar Impulse co-founder, pilot and CEO Andre Borschberg (L) greets pilot Bertrand Piccard at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix

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    Default Re: Solar Impulse plane starts bid to cross US 2013

    1970's ....


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    Default Re: Solar Impulse plane starts bid to cross US 2013

    Solar Impulse landed at JFK - total 105 hours 41 minutes. 3511 miles. Pictures: http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/multimedia/pictures/
    HB-S1A - Wingspan 208 feet, top speed about 50 mph, cruise about 43 mph



    Educational material - how it works

    http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/multi...onal-material/

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