Solar-powered plane
 |
| Bingoscience.blogspot.com |
Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane, took off on March 9 from Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on its first attempt to fly around the world, with stops, using nothing but solar power.
It landed in Chongqing, China, on March 30, arriving from Mandalay in Myanmar. Another stop in China is planned, in the city of Nanjing, before the plane takes off to Hawaii and then to the U.S. West Coast.
It’s not going to be the plane’s first time in the U.S. The plane flew from San Francisco to New York City, making multiple stops, over two months in the summer of 2013.
The wingspan of this carbon-fiber aircraft is 72 meters, or about 230 feet — longer than that of a Boeing 747. More than 17,000 solar cells are built onto the wing, and the cells supply power for four electric motors. During the day, the solar cells recharge lithium batteries.
For the flight around the world, pilots and project leaders Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg hope to return by late July or early August. The project has been financed by several companies and public entities, including elevator and escalator provider Schindler Holding AGSCHN, -0.91% and chemical group Solvay SA SOLB, +0.04%
Solar Impulse’s planned stops also include Phoenix, Ariz., a still-to-be-determined city in the Midwest, and New York.
The final leg will include a stopover in southern Europe or North Africa before the return to Abu Dhabi.
Sign up here with your email
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon