The solar powered plane Solar Impulse 2 has completed the first leg of its historic journey to fly around the world without utilizing a drop of fossil fuel. The journey of the Solar Impulse 2 started from Abu Dhabi, Dubai.
The Solar Impulse 2 is a Swiss made, single seater plane, and it is powered on solar cells. The span of its wings is 72 meters (roughly around 236 feet) even bigger than that of the Boeing 747.
There are 17,248 ultra efficient solar cells built on the wings. These cells collect and transfer solar energy to four electrical motors and four lithium polymer batteries. The energy provided to the four electrical motors is used to power the plane's engine.
The weight of the Solar Impulse 2 is estimated to be 2,300 kg in contrast with Boeing 747 which weights 180,000 kg.
It is not possible even for the pilot to stand inside the Solar Impulse 2 due to its small size, but it is possible to recline and decline the seat for relaxing.
The pilots in charge of the plane are Solar Impulse founder André Borschberg and its co-founder Bertrand Piccard. The plane is set to cover a journey of 35000 kilometers (21700 miles). The Solar Impulse 2 can reach speeds upward of 100mph.
Solar impulse is on a historic journey around the world without a drop of fossil fuel. Its journey started at Abu Dhabi on March 9th, 2015. It has landed in Oman after continuously flying for more than 13 hours. But the journey has just started for the Solar Impulse 2: its next stop is Ahmedabad in India.
With 35,000 kilometers to cover it is going to take the craft more than 5 months, though the pilots have been trained for this adventurous journey. They will have to fly 5 days and 5 nights continuously while they are over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The plane will fly at an altitude of around 28000 feet during day time and 5000 feet during the night.
