Solar-powered Aeroplane Facts, Photos, Videos
First of its kind ultra-lightweight aeroplane powered completely by the solar energy is set to fly coast-to-coast this spring.
The Solar powered Journey
- The Solar Impulse plane’s historic cross-country journey will begin on May 1, 2013
- The plane, which requires zero fuel and relies solely on solar panels and battery power, would be the world’s first plane powered purely by solar energy.
- The two Swiss pilots of the plane, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, want to complete a flight from Moffett Field to New York City, after spending 10 years designing it.
- It is expected to arrive in the Big Apple by early July and will stop in Phoenix (Arizona), Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington DC and either Nashville (Tennessee), Atlanta (Georgia) or St. Louis along the way.
- The US flight is the latest step towards the ultimate goal of Solar Impulse team; that of making a flight around the world by 2015.
- In 2010, the Solar Impulse plane completed a 26-hour overnight flight and in 2012 flew from Switzerland to Morocco without any fuel.
More Facts about the 100% solar-powered plane:
- The plane uses creative engineering and physics to harness the sun’s energy for power even after the sun sets.
- It has a wingspan equivalent to a 747 jetliner, the weight of a station-wagon, and the power needs of a small scooter.
- The solar panels across its wings harness power from the sun during the day and lithium-polymer batteries store that energy for overnight trips.
- A carbon-fibre material formed in a honeycomb structure makes up the bulk of the plane, which allows for its feather-weight.
- To fly around the world, the team needs to fly for five days continuously, which the current plane isn’t equipped for.
[Earlier: Coverage for Solar-powered aeroplane's transcontinental flight]
An experimental solar-powered airplane took off from Switzerland on its first transcontinental flight Thursday, aiming to reach North Africa next week. Pilot Andre Borschberg planned to take the jumbo jet-size Solar Impulse plane on its first leg to Madrid, Spain, by Friday. His colleague Bertrand Piccard will take the helm of the aircraft for the second stretch of its 2,500-kilometer (1,554-mile) journey to the Moroccan capital Rabat.
The mission is described as the final dress rehearsal for a round-the-world flight with a new and improved aircraft in 2014.
Facts about the Solar Impulse Solar powered aeroplane
Solar Impulse plane is a solar powered plane as big as an Airbus A340 but as light as an average family car, from Europe to Africa. Here are some interesting facts about this solar powered airplane
- Solar powered airplane - Solar Impulse has 12,000 solar cells in the wing turning four electrical motors
- Each of the motors on the carbon-fibre plane charges 400-kilogram (880-pound) lithium polymer batteries during the day, allowing the aircraft to carry on flying after dark.
- It holds the record for the longest flight by a manned solar-powered aeroplane after staying aloft for 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds above Switzerland, also setting a record for altitude by flying at 9,235 metres (30,298 feet).
- The aircraft made history in July 2010 as the first manned plane to fly around the clock on the sun’s energy.
- The plane’s round-the-world flight is also planned for 2014.\
- It can’t fly into clouds because it was not designed for that
- The aeroplane has 63-meter (207-foot) wingspan
- Just in case things go disastrously wrong, the pilot has a parachute inside his tiny cabin
- In 2010, it flew non-stop for 26-hour to demonstrate that the 12,000 solar cells attached to the aircraft can soak up enough sunlight to keep the plane airborne through the night.
- A year later, it took Solar Impulse on its first international flight to Belgium and France.
- The solar powered aeoplane – Solar Impulse project began in 2003 and is estimated to cost about $100 million over 10 years.
Solar-powered Aeroplane Solar Impulse Video Facts