That brings me to the end of the first voyage around the world of a solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2. Started with a take-off on March 9, 2015 from the airport in Abu Dhabi, exciting journey, Swiss pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Picard there and ended July 26, 2016 00:05 GMT. Alternately replacing each other during stops, the crew in total to overcome more than 40 thousand kilometers in 16 months, using as fuel only the energy of the Sun.
To overcome all the way to canaleta had to make 17 stops, one of which was forced to suspend the world for 9 months to eliminate the faults (due to overheating were damaged batteries). The last flight from Cairo to Abu Dhabi took about 48 hours.
Solar Impulse 2 weighs just 2.3 tonnes with a wingspan of 72 meters. On the hull of the ship posted 17 248 solar cell, which are responsible for the 4 brushless motors. In daylight the solar panel charged lithium batteries, which ensure the functioning of engines at night.
The aim of the project was to draw public attention to the possibilities of vehicles running on clean, renewable sources of energy.
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