If @SolarImpulse is buzzing with tweets, it has a reason. The handle belongs to an aircraft that is all set to make a unique round-the-world journey, totally powered by solar energy.
Solar Impulse 2, which weighs as much as a car at 2,300kg, will begin its trip in a few days, making stopovers at Ahmedabad and Varanasi in India, after taking off from Abu Dhabi. The probable launch is on March 8, but will depend on weather conditions. From Varanasi, it will fly to Mandalay in Myanmar and Chongqing in China before reaching the US.
Adventurer Bertrand Piccard, one of the first balloonists to circle the earth, and MIT graduate Andre Boschberg — the Swiss co-founders and pilots of Solar Impulse 2 -will fly 35,000km day and night across the world, with stopovers at just 12 locations, without using a drop of fuel.
"We want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the impossible. We want youth, leaders, organizations and policy-makers to understand that what Solar Impulse 2 can achieve in the air, everyone can accomplish on ground in their everyday lives. Renewable energy can become an integral part of our lives," said Piccard.
04/03/15 Raja Bose/Times of India
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Solar Impulse 2, which weighs as much as a car at 2,300kg, will begin its trip in a few days, making stopovers at Ahmedabad and Varanasi in India, after taking off from Abu Dhabi. The probable launch is on March 8, but will depend on weather conditions. From Varanasi, it will fly to Mandalay in Myanmar and Chongqing in China before reaching the US.
Adventurer Bertrand Piccard, one of the first balloonists to circle the earth, and MIT graduate Andre Boschberg — the Swiss co-founders and pilots of Solar Impulse 2 -will fly 35,000km day and night across the world, with stopovers at just 12 locations, without using a drop of fuel.
"We want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the impossible. We want youth, leaders, organizations and policy-makers to understand that what Solar Impulse 2 can achieve in the air, everyone can accomplish on ground in their everyday lives. Renewable energy can become an integral part of our lives," said Piccard.
04/03/15 Raja Bose/Times of India
