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Solar-Powered Plane to Fly Around the World
securitas writes "The BBC's Carolyn Fry reports on the Solar Impulse project, a plan to circumnavigate the globe in a solar-powered airplane. Adventurers Brian Jones and Dr. Bertrand Piccard, who were the first people to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon in 1999, are behind the Solar Impulse project. The project is proceeding to the design stage after a feasability study determined that the solar-powered airplane concept is a viable idea. While other solar-powered planes like the Helios prototype have relied on a secondary power source (fuel cells), this project will be powered by solar energy alone. Batteries will store energy received in daylight hours to fly all night. The first prototype is scheduled for launch in 2006."
I mean really, WHY ? Just because they think they can ? What are the possible implication in a commercial market ? NONE.... Now if someone said they were going to fly around the world on NATURAL GAS, or Cow Shit, that would be cool. Seriously, a LNG plane would be cool, and there are a lot of reasons to do it, but SOLAR is NOT going to be powering any transport planes in the near future. AND its not like they are tryinh to exploit a new avenue of solar energy conversion, same old technology thats been around for 50 years. THEN again its not like there was much use in cirumnavgating the globe in a balloon.....