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India On Media |
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| A plane that runs on the sun |
| A plane that runs on the sun to end US journey
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 5-July-2013
5:28:52 AM |
| A revolutionary solar-powered plane is about to end a slow, symbolic journey across America by quietly buzzing the Statue of Liberty and landing in a city whose buildings often obscure the sun.
The Solar Impulse leaves from Washington on a journey planned for Saturday, depending on the weather. It will take hours for the journey - top speed is 45 mph (73 kph) - and there are none of the most basic comforts of flying.
The aircraft's creators view themselves as green pioneers - promoting lighter materials, solar-powered batteries and conservation as sexy and adventurous. Theirs is the high-flying equivalent of the Tesla electric sports car. They want people to feel a thrill while saving the planet.
Bertrand Piccard is one of the two pilots who take turns flying Solar Impulse. His grandfather was the first man to see the curve of the Earth as a pioneering high-altitude balloon flier more than 80 years ago. His father more than half a century ago first took a submarine to the deepest and most inaccessible ocean trench on Earth.
Now, Piccard says there's no truly new place on Earth for explorers to pioneer. At 55, he's tried.
"After a conquest of the planet, the 21st Century should be about improving the quality of life," Piccard said.
Europe saw Solar Impulse first with a test flight from Switzerland and Spain to Morocco last year. This year's US flight is another trial run that's preparation for a 2015 around-the-world trip with an upgraded version of the plane.
"We're flying the most extraordinary airplane in the world," Piccard said.
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