Solar powered plane ready to cross the USA

By Hum
in Science News & Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Hum

Posted
Posted

A solar-powered plane that can fly at night is gearing up to be the first airplane of its kind to fly across the United States.

The Solar Impulse has spent the past few weeks around San Francisco, California, taking practice runs before its cross-country tour.

?That?s a mythical step in aviation,? Andre Borschberg, one of the plane?s pilots and creators, said about flying cross-country. He compared the Solar Impulse team to early-20th-century aviators who tried to fly coast to coast in propeller planes.

He said a solar-powered trip around the world could happen in two years.

The Solar Impulse is powered by about 12,000 photovoltaic cells. They cover the plane?s massive wings and charge its batteries, allowing it to fly day and night without fuel. It has the wingspan of a large passenger airplane but the weight of the average family car, a combination that makes it vulnerable to bad weather.

Its creators say the Solar Impulse is designed to showcase the potential of solar power and will never replace fuel-powered commercial flights. The delicate, single-seat plane cruises at around 40 miles per hour ?a lot slower than ordinary planes ? and it can?t fly through clouds.

Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse?s co-founder and chairman, had predicted that the plane would be ready for the cross-country journey this week, depending on the weather. ?We like nice weather,? Borschberg said. ?We like sunny days,?

Friday is now the first possible day for takeoff, a Solar Impulse spokeswoman said Monday.

more

post-37120-0-99765500-1367414164.jpg

Grand Master

spacer

Posted
Posted

If the plane can fly at night, why can't it fly through clouds? It certainly can't be a darkness issue. If it's a condensation issue, does that mean the plane can't fly when it's raining? I know they said the plane doesn't handle bad weather well, but I thought that was a product of it's light weight vs high-winds, not water.

Contributor

geertd

Posted
Posted

as i live nearby brussels airport

i drove over to watch this beauty land

http://www.solarimpulse.com/

happened on 13 may 2011

triumphal.jpg

After 12 hours 59 minutes of flight and 480 kilometres as the ?solar bird' flies, HB-SIA landed smoothly at Zaventem airport at 21:39 LT, where it received a triumphal welcome from a crowd of fans and followers and a large media contingent.

Grand Master

DocM

Posted
Posted

If the plane can fly at night, why can't it fly through clouds? It certainly can't be a darkness issue.

>

It is a darkness issue. The output of the solar cells in full light is just enough to keep it in the air and charge the batteries for the low-light/darkness leg plus a few hours equivalent of safety margin. Clouds tip the charge balance, but the next version will fix that; more powerful solar array, much larger batteries plus structural improvements. Thos changes will give it a >5 day duration.

Contributor

geertd

Posted
Posted

it s all about development of renewable energies

they know that a solar powered plane carrying 300 + passengers is not in the works

http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/message/ambassador-of-the-future/

We are dealing here with a symbol, as solar airplanes are unlikely ever to carry 300 passengers, but it is a symbol that affects all of us.

Grand Master

DocM

Posted
Posted

Solar electric in planes are more likely to be used in conjunction with "electric jets;" high bypass ducted fans run by superconducting electric motors. Power would come from a compact superconducting dynamo running on LH2 or methane and buffered by batteries that could be partially charged by the solar panels.

One more item known to be on Elon Musk's to-do list.

  • 3 weeks later...
Contributor

geertd

Posted
Posted

from http://www.solarimpulse.com/

The flight from Phoenix to Dallas has been confirmed! Solar Impulse, piloted by Andr? Borschberg, will take off for Dallas (TX) tomorrow, Wednesday May 22nd at 4:45AM MST (UTC-7) from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Landing is scheduled at 01:00AM CDT (UTC-5) at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Bertrand Piccard will complete the third leg of the Across America flight, connecting Dallas (TX) to St. Louis (MI).

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge

      By Karthik Mudaliar · Posted

      Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge by Karthik Mudaliar Apple has raised the U.S. prices of several MacBook and iPad models, including the MacBook Neo, which it launched for $599 less than four months ago. The company’s cheapest laptop now starts at $699, while some MacBook Pro configurations have increased by $300. The changes affect the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Apple has not changed the hardware or storage included with these models, so customers are simply paying more for the same configurations. Here is how the new US pricing compares with the previous starting prices: Product Previous price New price Increase MacBook Neo $599 $699 $100 13-inch MacBook Air, 512GB $1,099 $1,299 $200 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB $1,699 $1,999 $300 16-inch MacBook Pro $2,699 $2,999 $300 11-inch iPad Air, 128GB $599 $749 $150 13-inch iPad Air, 128GB $799 $949 $150 11-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $999 $1,199 $200 13-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $1,299 $1,499 $200 The updated prices are already appearing on Apple’s U.S. online store. The MacBook Neo increase will probably attract the most attention. Apple introduced the laptop in March for $599, pitching it as a more affordable Mac for students and buyers considering Windows laptops or Chromebooks. It uses an A18 Pro processor and originally undercut Dell’s new $699 XPS 13 by $100. Following the increase, the two laptops now have the same starting price. The M5 MacBook Air has also lost the price Apple promoted when it launched in March. The 13-inch model arrived with 512GB of storage for $1,099, while Apple’s store now lists the MacBook Air range as starting at $1,299. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip and 1TB of storage has gone from $1,699 to $1,999. Apple has made similar changes to its iPads. The recently released M4 iPad Air, which launched at the same $599 starting price as its predecessor, now starts at $749 for the 11-inch version. The 13-inch version has risen from $799 to $949. The iPad Pro increases are larger in dollar terms. Apple’s 11-inch M5 iPad Pro now starts at $1,199, up from $999, while the 13-inch version has moved from $1,299 to $1,499. Both base models still include 256GB of storage. Apple blamed the increases on the rapidly rising cost of DRAM and NAND flash, which provide system memory and device storage. The company told Reuters that it had tried to shield customers from the increases but could no longer absorb them. “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” Apple said. Tim Cook had already warned that price increases were coming. Cook said Apple’s existing component inventory had softened the immediate impact, but that higher memory costs would increasingly affect the company after the June quarter. Much of the pressure comes from the construction of AI data centers. Memory manufacturers are directing more production toward high-margin server products, leaving PC, tablet, and smartphone makers competing for the remaining supply. Apple has not said whether the new prices are temporary or whether further increases are planned. For now, the changes show that even Apple’s purchasing power has not been enough to keep the AI-driven memory shortage away from consumer devices.
    • Ventoy 1.1.16

      By Copernic · Posted

      Ventoy 1.1.16 is out.
    • This Chinese company is reportedly developing a feature Apple and Samsung can only dream of

      By Mateus · Posted

      This is a none story - these low volume Chinese models will always get new experimental features first because Apple and Samsung can't produce them in huge volume to meet demand.
    • Nvidia GeForce NOW gains support for Dark Scrolls, Empulse, and more

      By LoneWolfSL · Posted

      Nvidia GeForce NOW gains support for Dark Scrolls, Empulse, and more by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe The final update of June for Nvidia's cloud gaming service GeForce NOW is now available, and it is touting support for six more games. The company is also drawing subscriber attention towards the summer sales kicking off across stores, so they can stock up on more cloud-supported titles. Of course, the Steam Summer Sale is the biggest promotion, which is kicking off later today. "Supported Steam games can be streamed across devices with GeForce NOW, making it easy to buy a game once, keep progress synced and pick up where the gameplay left off on PCs, Macs, handheld devices, phones, TVs and more," says the company. "In other words, the Steam Summer Sale brings the deals; GeForce NOW adds the flexibility." Don't forget that the GeForce NOW summer sale is still active as well. This limited-time offer drops the 12-month Performance membership from $99.99 to $64.99, saving members $35. At the same time, the 12-month Ultimate membership is currently going for $129.99, dropping the price by $70 from the original $199.99. Here are the games joining GeForce NOW's supported list this week: Dark Scrolls (New release on Steam, available June 22) SAND: Raiders of Sophie (New release on Steam, available June 22) Deer & Boy (New release on Steam, available June 23) EMPULSE (New release on Steam, available June 24) The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Steam) FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (Steam) With the June expansions coming to an end, Nvidia should be announcing its July GeForce NOW plans next week. Keep in mind that, unlike subscription services like Game Pass or EA Play, a copy of a game must be owned by the GeForce NOW member (or at least have a license via PC Game Pass) to start playing via Nvidia's cloud servers. There is also a limit to how many hours subscribers can use the service per month.
    • Davinci Resolve 21.0.1

      By Copernic · Posted

      Davinci Resolve 21.0.1 by Razvan Serea DaVinci Resolve is the world’s only solution that combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post production all in one software tool! Its elegant, modern interface is fast to learn and easy for new users, yet powerful for professionals. DaVinci Resolve lets you work faster and at a higher quality because you don’t have to learn multiple apps or switch software for different tasks. That means you can work with camera original quality images throughout the entire process. It’s like having your own post production studio in a single app! Best of all, by learning DaVinci Resolve, you’re learning how to use the exact same tools used by Hollywood professionals! DaVinci Resolve is the only post production software designed for true collaboration. Multiple editors, assistants, colorists, VFX artists and sound designers can all work on the same project at the same time! Whether you’re an individual artist, or part of a larger collaborative team, it’s easy to see why DaVinci Resolve is the standard for high end post production and is used for finishing more Hollywood feature films, episodic television programing and TV commercials than any other software. Davinci Resolve 21.0.1 release notes: Addressed multiple DNG and Apple ProRAW color issues. Addressed issue with automatic smart bins after deleting keywords. Addressed issue with multiple linked audio in media management. Addressed multiple Resolve FX issues in photo page. Addressed issue with key shortcut to switch viewer in photo page. More consistent creation of new photo albums. Addressed color thumbnail refresh for photo transform indicator. Transcription now honors project settings language. Improved face recognition in IntelliSearch. Addressed exported bins not retaining generator and title properties. Addressed ease control display and sensitivity issues. Addressed keyframe issue when copying clips with Fusion effects. Addressed keyframe refresh for Fusion effects in the edit page. Addressed issue with 3D renders in Linux with non-English locales. Addressed Fusion viewer color issue for some RCM settings. Addressed issue with saturation limits in Fusion gradient controls. Addressed Fusion display issues with dual screen layouts. Addressed issue with non-English character inputs in Linux. Disabling MultiMaster now disables trim blanking controls. Addressed crash in some scenarios with CineFocus. Addressed lag when toggling bypass grades and Fusion effects. Addressed occasional issue with Fairlight loudness meters. Addressed data burn display of good take tag in upgraded projects. Addressed project manager scroll lag for large project libraries. Support for Sony Alpha 7R VI ARW RAW stills. Support for decoding Affinity RGB 16-bit formats. Addressed a color issue with MainConcept H.265 HDR renders. Addressed a color issue with Windows native H.265 HDR renders. RemoveMotionBlur API now uses correct encode parameters. Addressed character limit consistency in GenerateSpeech API. General performance and stability improvements. Download page: Davinci Resolve 21.0.1 | 3300 MB (Free, paid upgrade available) Links: DaVinci Resolve Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      kinowa earned a badge
      First Post
    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      463
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      171
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      134
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      77
    5. 5
      Xenon
      77
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!