Solar Impulse 2
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Solar Impulse 2 starts historic round-the-world flight in March
The Solar Impulse 2 team has revealed the route and schedule for its audacious attempt to cross the world powered only by the sun. It'll launch from Abu Dhabi around early March and stop in spots like Chongqing, New York City and Southern Europe before returning to Abu Dhabi. If solar-powered-anything doesn't sound thrilling, let's put things in scale: the 72m (236 foot) aircraft is wider than a Boeing 747, but at 2,300 kilograms (5,000 pounds) weighs less than an SUV. Suffice to say, an aircraft that light won't be terribly comfortable for pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, who will often fly for days at a time in an unheated, unpressurized cockpit.
