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Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane co-founded by Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg, took off on June 28 on a potentially record-breaking flight across the Pacific Ocean. The BBC reports that the single-seater left Japan's Nagoya Airfield at 18:03 GMT (a little after noon CT) and hopes to reach Hawaii in roughly five days. In total, the flight would traverse 8,200km or approximately 5,095 miles. If successful, the BBC notes the Solar Impulse team will break records for both the longest-duration solo flight and the farthest distance flown by an entirely solar-powered aircraft.
Borschberg and partner Bertrand Piccard hope that the third time is the charm for this endeavor. The plane's first attempt in May was cut short by the forecast causing an unscheduled landing, and the second attempt (occurring last Tuesday, June 23) was postponed for similar reasons. According to the BBC report, the team hasn't aggressively publicized its take off today just in case weather conditions again cause an unexpected landing. At the time of this article, Solar Impulse's official site and Twitter account remained mum on its current progress. The BBC reported the point of no return is set at about eight hours, so Solar Impulse should know within the next two hours.
Solar Impulse 2 has a bigger wingspan than a jumbo jet, but it's light (roughly the weight of a car) and powered solely by 17,000 solar cells. "During the day, the solar cells recharge lithium batteries weighing 633 Kg (2,077 lbs) which allow the aircraft to fly at night and therefore to have virtually unlimited autonomy," the team states on its About page. Of course beyond technical challenges, the human element of this record attempt also present a significant hurdle. Borschberg's space is roughly the size of a phone booth, according to the BBC, and the pilot will only be able to take 20-minute naps throughout this initial leg. If a water landing must happen, the plane contains supplies for its pilot to survive for an entire week during recovery.
What does it take to risk your life like this for a record, or for science?
Follow its flight here
Original Submission
(Score: 1) by deadstick on Friday July 03 2015, @12:26AM
Changing the ground vehicles would be quite sufficient. Ground transportation uses more than 10 times as much energy as aviation.
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Friday July 03 2015, @05:53AM
Changing the ground vehicles would be quite sufficient.
bullet trains are the only ground vehicles that can even compare to the speed of modern airplanes. there is also the small issue of oceans getting in the way and the much greater risk of fatal injury by driving (we are in dire need of self driving cars).
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Friday July 03 2015, @12:58PM
Gravis wrote :- bullet trains are the only ground vehicles that can even compare to the speed of modern airplanes
Planes traditionally travel at high speed because they have to (to stay airborne). However, a lot of the advantage is wiped out by the time spent getting to and from the airport, and the procedures at the airport. London's airports for example are quite a trek from anywhere else you would want to be, while its railway terminals are right there in the centre of London and its transport hub.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday July 03 2015, @01:05PM
Having travelled on the Shinkansen in Japan and TGV in France, I can attest to how superior bullet trains are to 747s. You can get up and walk around. The ride is glass smooth--you can put a full wine glass on the table in front of you and it won't slop over the rim. In Japan you can even rent time in offices in the office car. It's fantastic.
Crossing oceans is tough for trains. Tunnels can help in a few places like the Bering Strait, but it's wildly expensive. Hydrofoils can help in other places, like the Beetle does between Pusan, South Korea, and Shimonoseki, Japan, but it's highly dependent on wave size. Perhaps airships can replace 747s for people who don't mind boarding in New York after dinner and waking up in Beijing before breakfast, given seats that lay flat.
Washington DC delenda est.