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Solar Impulse Completes First Intercontinental Solar Flight

Posted by Soulskill on from the always-land-before-dark dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Slashdotters may remember the Solar Impulse — the world's first 100% solar-powered airplane — from last year when it made its public debut. Today the airplane made news again as it successfully completed the world's first solar-powered intercontinental flight — a pivotal step that paves the way for the plane's first trip around the world in 2014."

8 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. Re:First Post by macraig · · Score: 2

    From a continental bullshit-powered basement computer!

    FTFY

  2. Re:Not really that spectacular... by MyLongNickName · · Score: 4, Insightful

    515 miles isn't impressive for a solar powered flight? Maybe I am naive, but this seems like quite an accomplishment to me. Perhaps you would like to pull something out of your resume that is more impressive?

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  3. At about 25 miles/hour by kwerle · · Score: 3, Insightful

    piloted their Solar Impulse airplane over 515 miles to their destination in Rabat, Morocco... Furthermore, after almost 20 hours of flight

  4. Re:Not really that spectacular... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    That's still double the speed of Phileas Fogg

  5. Nice by joib · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The thing has a wingspan on 68m, more than an A340. Yet it weighs 1600 kg, about the same as a car. Carbon fiber and epoxy is a pretty impressive combination..

  6. The First Always Kinda Sucks, Give It A Break by TheSpoom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The first car sucked. The first bicycle sucked. It's a goddamn proof of concept, people. Stop shit-talking it, this is how progress is made.

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    1. Re:The First Always Kinda Sucks, Give It A Break by Joce640k · · Score: 2

      Supposing they solve the remaining problems (eg. Sun going down), how will this be better than an airship (Zeppelin/Blimp)?

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  7. Re:Intercontinental by es330td · · Score: 2

    I categorize this as "cool" in the same way a "car" that gets 150+ mpg by carrying a single passenger lying down in an egg shaped vehicle at 5 mph is "cool." Yes, it is progress that a solar powered airplane has flown. That said, there are a lot of things that don't scale, and if it can't carry cargo or people, or get there in anything approaching a reasonable time frame it is a novelty at best.