World's first solar plane takes flight

World?s first solar plane takes flight - Science - Canoe.ca
 
 
May 14, 2011  VIDEO GALLERY PHOTO GALLERIESCOMMENT ON A STORYBIN LADENNewCANADA VOTES ACROSS CANADA WORLD WATCH LATEST BREAKING NEWS WEIRD NEWS CRIME POLITICS FEATURES MEDIA NEWS SCIENCE GREEN NEWS GOOD NEWS TECHNOLOGY Sun Papers
Columnists
Lotteries
Weather
RSS Feed
If the world does end, it?ll largely involve:
God?s divine plan
Evil space beings
Environmental change
Machines turning on us
Zombies
Celebrity scandals


Results | Story

World?s first solar plane takes flight
ByCHRISTOPHER LE COQ, Reuters

The solar-powered HB-SIA prototype flown by Solar Impulse's Chief Executive Officer and pilot Andre Borschberg, lands at Zaventem's international airport near Brussels May 13, 2011. (Reuters)

BRUSSELS - A solar energy plane made the world?s first international flight powered by the sun on Friday to show the potential for pollution-free air travel.

The Solar Impulse took off from an airfield at Payerne in western Switzerland on Friday morning and landed at Brussels airport after a 13-hour flight.

?The objective is to demonstrate what we can do with existing technology in terms of renewable energy and energy savings,? project co-founder and pilot Andre Borschberg told Reuters by telephone during the flight.

Borschberg believes such solar-harnessing technology can be used to power cars and homes. ?It is symbolic to be able to go from one place to another using solar energy,? he said.

The Solar Impulse project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million euros ($128 million) and has involved engineers from Swiss lift maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay.

The plane, which requires 12,000 solar cells, embarked on its first flight in April 2010 and completed a 26-hour flight, a record flying time for a solar powered aircraft, three months later.

With an average flying speed of 70 km/h (44 mph), Solar Impulse is not an immediate threat to commercial jets, which can easily cruise at more than 10 times the speed. A flight from Geneva from Brussels can take little more than an hour.

Project leaders acknowledged it had been a major challenge to fit a slow-flying plane into the commercial air traffic system.

Friday?s flight was Solar Impulse?s fifth. Previous flights did not leave Switzerland. A larger prototype is scheduled to fly around the world in 2013.










We shouldn?t expect the kids to clean up our mess
I turned 75 in March. That means I probably won?t be around to see the worst impacts of climate change or any other looming environmental disasters ? or the much brighter future that may emerge if we get off our butts to address the problems.Full Column
Columnist DAVID SUZUKI

Across Canada World Watch Booze cops link strip clubs, Hells Angels NDP seats occupied by separatists Missing soldier search tough on wife Patients less likely to pull own plug Alberta oil spill cleanup may top $40M Horror of Great War relived Manitoba flood?s sacrificial lambs Wildfire season starts in Alberta Third worker dies at Japan nuke plant Artist paints bin Laden with bullets Bin Laden?s wives questioned by U.S. World?s first solar plane takes flight Australia intercepts asylum seekers Gadhafi voice taunts NATO U.S. makes mistake on 'green card' lottery, must redraw Woman shoots daughter, herself night before birthday: Police Good News Media News Missing peacock reunited with owner Neighbour saves trapped farmer Levant wins award for defending oilsands Lehrer scaling back PBS duties Science Weird News World?s first solar plane takes flight Hubble captures images of dwarf galaxy Teachers caught in the act in school classroom Cost-cutting U.K. government to sell its best wines Environment Politics Alberta oil spill cleanup may top $40M The kids shouldn't clean up our mess NDP seats occupied by separatists Harper's new cabinet speculation Crime Photo Galleries Booze cops link strip clubs, Hells Angels Funeral for girl found dead after 12-year disappearance Cool pictures from our world Photos of the week Sun Papers   Calgary Sun Edmonton Sun Ottawa Sun 24 Hours Toronto Sun London Free Press Winnipeg Sun

 

View the original article here