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| World's first 'solar plane' to fly |
| World's first 'solar plane' to fly across US
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 2-April-2013
10:35:28 AM |
| A first of its kind ultra-lightweight plane powered completely by the sun is set to fly coast-to-coast this spring.
The Solar Impulse plane will stop in Dallas city in Texas during its historic cross-country journey that begins on May 1, its creators announced on Tuesday.
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.
"It carries only one pilot and no passengers, but it carries a lot of message," Piccard said.
"Today we can't imagine having a solar plane with 200 passengers. But in 1903 it was exactly the same," he said, noting the sense of impossibility that surrounded the first airplane flight that took place that year.
"We don't know what's going to happen in the future, but we have to start and see where technology takes us," he said.
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.
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.
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