Piccard will be driving explorer HB-SIA Solar Impulse aircraft

Against the Swiss explorerPackard (Bertrand Piccard), in the exploration area, should be regarded as an eminent person, known as Captain Picard, 1999,Packard (Bertrand Piccard) and(Brian Jones) to drive it, completed the first time in human history, global hot-air balloon non-stop flight feat. After inspection, solar-powered aircraft HB-SIA prototype reach a wingspan of 61 meters, but weighs only 1500 kg, integrated in the Solar Impulse wing solar panels on a total area of 250 square meters, the power generation efficiency can reach 20% of the minimum . At the same time, body weight is also equipped with 450 kilograms of lithium batteries, each with a capacity of about 200 kilograms of kilowatt-hours of electricity, of course, this data will improve in 2012. This design, however, has been able to ensure that even in the absence of a period of sunshine, but also to ensure adequate power of flight, of course, this also requires a large amount of intermediate actual test data, we can not know weather unexpected storms, what the scene will be ; Picard is expected to drive solar-powered aircraft in 2012 leap in the Atlantic, at that time we have come to witness a miracle.

[Via Gizmag] solar-powered aircraft over the past. Is a pioneer Paul MacCready, his solar-powered aircraft manufactured in the Gossamer Penguin, California in 1980 the first manned flight, the driver was his 13-year-old son. Derived from the solar-powered aircraft Solar Challenger in 1981, through the English Channel.