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bystander
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by bystander » Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:04 pm
Sunshine-Powered Plane Takes off for a 24-Hour Test Flight
Discover Blogs | 80beats | 07 July 2010
As I write this, a plane
powered by the sun is flying somewhere over Europe, undertaking its most ambitious test flight yet.
When we last left the Solar Impulse back in April, the experimental aircraft had flown a two-hour test to prove it was flight-worthy. Today, the pilot in the plane, which weighs about as much as a car and is covered in 12,000 solar cells, will try to stay aloft for 24 hours, even cruising along during the nighttime hours. ...
[AP]
Piccard’s team wanted to fly a little closer to the summer solstice last month, but technical problems left them grounded. With the bug in the communications system now sorted out, pilot Andre Borschberg took off from Switzerland at about 7 a.m. local time. When night falls in Europe—sometime later this afternoon U.S. time—Borschberg will have to decide whether he’s managed to save enough energy to fly through the night. If so, he’ll bring the plane down from an altitude of nearly 28,000 feet to just about 5,000 and hold steady, waiting for the dawn so he can land. ...
[BBC News]
Solar-Powered Airplane Attempts First Night Flight
Universe Today | 07 July 2010
Solar Impulse, which is the first airplane designed to fly day and night without fuel, is attempting to fly for the first time at night. The plane took off at 6:51 this morning, local time from the Payerne airbase in Switzerland, and as of this writing, everything was proceeding as planned, and night was just beginning to fall. ...
Piccard said this effort is not just about flying an airplane on solar power, but "to show everyone on this planet that we are not so dependent on non-renewable energies as we may think."
The ultimate goal of this project is to fly the plane around the world without stopping, which the team hopes to do in 2012.
The plane made its maiden voyage in April of 2010.
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The plane has a 61 meter wingspan, and the wings are covered with 12,000 state-of-the-art photovoltaic solar cells that power the plane. Using so-called intelligent light materials and new energy storage, the plane will be able to fly both night and day, completely on solar power. Solar impulse weights 1,600 kg and can fly at speeds up to 70 kmh at a maximum altitude of 8,500 m (27,900 ft).
Mission Accomplished: Solar Plane Completes 26-Hour Test Flight
Discover Blogs | 80beats | 08 July 2010
Success for Solar Impulse: This morning the solar-powered plane touched down in Switzerland after more than 26 hours in the sky—including flying overnight on battery power.
As we noted yesterday, this was by far the most ambitious test of adventurer Bertrand Piccard’s experimental aircraft, which is covered by 12,000 solar cells. Swiss pilot André Borschberg had to decide last night whether those cells had absorbed enough battery power during the day to coast through the night, and he managed to do it. ...
[The New York Times]
Sun power won’t replace jet fuel anytime soon, of course. Staying aloft on battery power meant scrimping on luxuries, so Borschberg spent the night flying in a cramped cockpit at below-zero temperatures that made his iPod freeze up—so no listening to sweeping arias while coasting over the majestic Swiss landscape for Mr. Borschberg.
Spartan quarters aside, the next challenge calls to Piccard and Solar Impulse: flying around the world. Now that the plane has flown a day, he wants to show that it can fly without end. ...
[AP]
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bystander
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by bystander » Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:56 pm
Solar Powered Airplane Successfully Flies Through the Night
Universe Today | 08 July 2010
Nothing really new to report, but I like these pictures. 
After flying for over 26 straight hours, pilot André Borschberg landed the solar-powered Solar Impulse HB-SIA airplane to cheers and applause at the Payerne airbase in Switzerland, successfully completing the goal of flying the aircraft through the night. According to Bertrand Piccard, president of Solar Impulse, there was power to spare, with over three hours of energy remaining in the sun-gathering lithium batteries. “This is a highly symbolic moment: flying by night using solely solar power is a stunning manifestation of the potential that clean technologies offer today to reduce the dependency of our society on fossil fuels!" Piccard said. "We are on the verge of the perpetual flight."
With an official flight time of 26 hours and 9 minutes, the lightweight carbon fiber plane reached a a maximum altitude of 8,700 m (28,543 ft), a top speed of 68 knots (ground speed), an average speed of 23 knots. The HB-SIA flew solely on solar power, gathering and storing it during the daylight hours, and using the energy to fly through the night.
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The Solar Impulse HB-SIA has 12,000 solar cells built into its 64.3-meter (193-foot) wings, and is a prototype for an aircraft that the Solar Impulse team hope to fly around the world in a continuous flight in 2012.
Solar impulse weights 1,600 kg (3,500 lb), and is powered by four electric motors.
"Nothing can prevent us from another day and night, and the myth of perpetual flight," a jubilant Piccard said at a press conference following the flight.
First piloted solar-powered night flight
New Scientist | Short Sharp Science | 08 July 2010
New Scientist posts a short interesting video on the Solar Impulse flight.
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evanjones246
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by evanjones246 » Mon Mar 12, 2012 8:42 am
+1... I just learned about about these solar powered planes, and the technology sounds amazing! I am looking forward to seeing this kind of technology advance further, to the point where we do not have to spend ridiculous amounts of money on fuel for planes. Solar power has the ability to help us stop our dependence on foreign oil, and liberates us to use natural resources that are renewable for energy purposes.
Thank you so much for sharing this information!
bystander wrote:Solar Powered Airplane Successfully Flies Through the NightMandalay Bay Hotel Las VegasLas Vegas Shows
Universe Today | 08 July 2010
Nothing really new to report, but I like these pictures.
After flying for over 26 straight hours, pilot André Borschberg landed the solar-powered Solar Impulse HB-SIA airplane to cheers and applause at the Payerne airbase in Switzerland, successfully completing the goal of flying the aircraft through the night. According to Bertrand Piccard, president of Solar Impulse, there was power to spare, with over three hours of energy remaining in the sun-gathering lithium batteries. “This is a highly symbolic moment: flying by night using solely solar power is a stunning manifestation of the potential that clean technologies offer today to reduce the dependency of our society on fossil fuels!" Piccard said. "We are on the verge of the perpetual flight."
With an official flight time of 26 hours and 9 minutes, the lightweight carbon fiber plane reached a a maximum altitude of 8,700 m (28,543 ft), a top speed of 68 knots (ground speed), an average speed of 23 knots. The HB-SIA flew solely on solar power, gathering and storing it during the daylight hours, and using the energy to fly through the night.
...
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA has 12,000 solar cells built into its 64.3-meter (193-foot) wings, and is a prototype for an aircraft that the Solar Impulse team hope to fly around the world in a continuous flight in 2012.
Solar impulse weights 1,600 kg (3,500 lb), and is powered by four electric motors.
"Nothing can prevent us from another day and night, and the myth of perpetual flight," a jubilant Piccard said at a press conference following the flight.
First piloted solar-powered night flight
New Scientist | Short Sharp Science | 08 July 2010
New Scientist posts a short interesting video on the Solar Impulse flight.
