Earth around the solar
A Swiss adventurer in a sun grated airplane going to fly around the world without fuel. The 40,000-kilometer journey will take three weeks and take place in 2010. Already about two years gives the airplane on its maiden voyage. Bertrand Piccard seek new adventures equally obvious that other people breathe. He can not fail. In 1999 he wrote the story, when he and a companion to the first ever flew around the globe in a hot air balloon without stopping. In 1992, he won balloon flight first transatlantic race, and previously he claimed medals in the kite flying. This time, the Swiss's ambitions inflated slightly. Now, it is a round the world trip in an airplane, which is not built with a technology, which is not yet fully developed. The goal is to demonstrate a high-tech monster of pollution-free aircraft, which could possibly pave the way for a greener future in the upper atmospheric layers. The craft Piccard has in mind appears to be an air castle, but there is nothing wrong with it. The aircraft Solar Impulse exists not only in his head but also on paper in a model in scale 1:20, and in terms of flight deck and even in a plywood model full size. Already in 2008, the Solar Impulse at the first trial tours, which include night flight. The next year is the first long-distance trips scheduled first over a continent and then across the Atlantic. In 2010, the Solar Impulse to do something that no other aircraft has made: to fly around the world under its own power without so much as a drop of fuel. Day and night, it must be in the air, in about 20 days, while up to 100 km / h and down to 60 degrees cold weather is moving from continent to continent, to finally land, where it started. There will be a trip for a total of 40,000 kilometer divided into five stages of three to four days and three pilots, who must take turns at the controls. Besides Piccard itself accompanies the country man, an engineer and former fighter's Andr Borschberg and British pilot Brian Jones, who in 1999 was Bertrand Piccard followers of the earth around the trip in the balloon Breitling Orbiter 3. Wings covered with solar panels Solar Impulse is an insect-like aircraft with a gigantic wing span is 80 meters or as large as in air passenger's newest giant, Airbus A380. The body is about 20 meters long, and the flight deck with the cabin pressure is not greater than the pilot can just squeeze down into it. Barely two square meters will accommodate the pilot, his equipment and food and drink. According to Piccard, there is still enough room to be able to lie down and sleep at night. Most of the planet will be constructed of super strong and super light carbon fiber composite material with a surface area of embedded, flexible solar panels, which will supply energy to the airplane's two 20 horse forces propeller engines. Virtually the entire planet is covered with solar panels, which takes up an area the size of a house about 250 square meters. Solar panel are located both on top and under the wings, so that they can take energy directly from the sun, but also from the indirect sunlight reflected from Earth's surface. Solar energy is required and in abundant, if the mission is successful. Solar-powered aircraft has been in existence for over 30 years. The most famous is the Solar Challenger, which in 1991 crossed the English Channel, and NASA unmanned forever plan Helios, which in 2001 set a record by reaching 29,524 kilometers altitude. While the precursors could use the sun's rays all the time, the Solar Impulse not only fly in the day but at night and many nights. So equipped the plane with about 400 kilograms lithium ion batteries, which in the light hours can store energy for night flights. The batteries have high capacity in relation to size and used in, for example, hearing aids and watches. The Solar Impulse is fitted in the wings. Flight suits may be built-in alarm In order to consume the planet is as little energy as possible, it may not be charged with a single superfluous gram. Pilot costume is made of a specially developed lightweight materials and becomes a so-called biometric flight suit. It shall provide a computer with information on the pilot's health and monitor his physical activity level. When he sleeps, for example, the computer shall bring him only if there is a situation where he must take over the levers. Pilot shall immediately be informed by the plane, if something is wrong. Is it, for example, problems with the left wing, warned the pilot of vibration or heat in the left arm. The first sponsors of the approximately 300 million expensive project has already signed up, and the European space Agency ESA has entered as a partner. A team of 60 has now started to develop the aircraft in Switzerland.
