Save The Date: April 9, Solar Impulse 2 To Be Unveiled (VIDEO)

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Originally published on 1Sun4All.

The Solar Impulse team reports that Solar Impulse 2 will be unveiled on April 9th 2014, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm Swiss time in Payerne, Switzerland. We can follow the official presentation of the Round-The-World Solar Airplane, live on solarimpulse.com.

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The chances of succeeding at the first attempt to build a solar airplane capable of flying around the world were judged to be slim, so a more rudimentary prototype, HB-SIA, was first constructed, reports Solar Impulse.

Solar Impulse flying over San Francisco Bay |© Solar Impulse | REZO | 2013 Across America flying at Night 

Lessons learned from this prototype are incorporated in the second airplane, to be registered as HB-SIB, construction of which was started in 2011. Its more spacious cockpit will enable the pilot to fully recline during flights lasting from 4 to 6 days; it will have an increased payload; its electrical circuitry will be isolated to enable flights in rain; and system redundancy will improve reliability.

Screen view from the video

CHALLENGE #1:
Flying Day & Night Powered Only By The Sun in Solar Impulse 2

In 2015, Solar Impulse 2 will attempt the First Round-The-World Solar Flight.

The First #Challenge will be to fly day and night without fuel, for up to 7 days in a row.

1. Send your questions to the pilots on the web site or tweet @solarimpulse, using one of the hashtags below.

2. Select the best questions by clicking the “^” sign. The Pilots will answer live on April 9th during the unveiling of Solar Impulse 2.

#SOLAR ENERGY   #ZERO-FUEL   #AUTONOMY   #BATTERIES   #AERODYNAMISM   #LONG HAUL FLIGHTS   #ENGINEERING   #ENERGY CAPTURE   #ACROSS OCEANS   #ENERGY STORAGE   #DESIGN   #FLY NON-STOP   #INNOVATION   #ENERGY LOSS   #SOLAR CELLS #ENERGY EFFICIENCY   #LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE   #PERPETUAL FLIGHT   #BUILDING A SOLAR AIRPLANE   #MOTORS

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