Y-Green's Feature Friday - The Solar Impulse

 

The Solar Impulse is a single occupancy, solar powered airplane with a wingspan of 64 meters, and it's total weight is approximately 1400 Kg's. The Solar Impulse's 4 electric motors are powered by 12,000 solar cells, and the output produced from these solar panels is equivalent to that of a small motorcycle. The frames construction consists of lightweight carbon material, and it's power is stored via 400 Kg's of batteries which are evenly distributed throughout the aircraft. 

July.9th 2010; the Solar Impulse completed a 26 hour test flight and proved the plane could stay flying at night with the energy that its solar cells collected during the day.

May.12th 2011; the Solar Impulse team, set out to make the solar planes 1st international flight  across France, Luxembourg and Belgium.

12 hours and 59 minutes later; pilot Andre Borschberg, successfully landed in Brussels to complete the Solar Impulses 370 mile international flight and made Aviation History.  

The Solar Impulse's next flight is scheduled in June where it will be exhibited at the Paris Air Show.

(Images provided by: The Tech Journal & The Daily Mail)