Solar Impulse Has Started Its Extraordinary Journey Across the Pacific Ocean

solar-impulse-nanjing-departure-2015Solar Impulse took to the air today at 2.39am local time (6.39pm UTC) from Nanjing, China, and started its fantastic bid to cross the Pacific Ocean without using any fuel. If André Borschberg, the pilot of the aircraft, successfully lands in Hawaii, he will have achieved the longest flight in distance and duration by a solar-powered aircraft.

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Solar Impulse to Take Off TODAY at 6pm UTC to Cross the Pacific Ocean

solar impulseZero-fuel aircraft Solar Impulse with Swiss pilot André Borschberg at the controls will take off at 6pm UTC from Nanjing, China, the team has announced.

It should take 5 or 6 consecutive days and nights (more than 8000 km)  for Borschberg to cross the Pacific Ocean from Nanjing, China, to Hawaii, USA: an incredible challenge for a man to undertake. FAI Official Observers are on site to check that everything is done according to the FAI Sporting Code as this flight involves smashing several records of duration and distance by a solar-powered aircraft.

Make sure you don't miss this historical moment and follow Solar Impulse live on Twitter, Facebook or Youtube !

Solar Impulse Team Still Waiting for Good Weather Conditions to Cross the Pacific Ocean

Solar Impulse Nanjing - PiccardAlthough Swiss pilot André Borschberg was getting ready for a possible take-off tonight from Nanjing, China, to cross the Pacific Ocean and reach Hawaii, the Solar Impulse team finally had to decide against the departure of the solar-powered aircraft.

The video below explains why.

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21 May 2000: The Story of Lindsay Muir's Hot Air Balloon World Record

Lindsay Muir Long Dist 1 TakeOff

Balloon World Record not broken since

We are pleased to continue our series of world record celebrations with an exceptional woman in ballooning sports: British Lindsay Muir. She established a female category duration world record for balloons in class AX-10 (Hot-air balloons: 4.000 to 6.000 m³) for a flight of 19h 07min 55sec on 21 May 2000 with the balloon “Lindstrand LBL-210 A” (G-FVBF).

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Solar Impulse Lands in Nanjing After Flight Across China - World Records Ratified by FAI

2015-SI2-Nanjing-leg6Bertrand Piccard landed the fuel-free aircraft Solar Impulse in Nanjing, East of China, on Tuesday at 23:28 local time (15:28 UTC). The Swiss pilot took off from Chongqing, China, at 6:06 am local time on the same day (10:06 pm GMT on 20 April 2015) and flew for 17:22 hours, covering a distance of 1,241 km. The 6th leg of the Round-The-World Solar Impulse mission is thus completed, and the plane has finished its journey in Asia.

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Solar Impulse Reaches Chongqing, China

2015-Solar-Impulse-ChongqingBertrand Piccard, who was at the controls of Solar Impulse, successfully landed at the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, China, on Tuesday 31 March. He took off from Mandalay, Myanmar, on Monday 30 March at 3:36am local time (9:06pm GMT, 29 March) and landed in China 20 hours and 29  minutes later, thus having flown 1,459 km. It is the first time that a single-seater solar airplane enters China.

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Solar Impulse On Its Way To Chongqing, China

2015-Solar-Impulse

On Sunday 29 March, Solar Impulse took off for its fifth flight from Mandalay, Myanmar, at 21:06 UTC. The zero-fuel aircraft is now on its way to Chongqing, China, and is piloted by Bertrand Piccard. The flight will last for about 19 hours and will cover a distance of 1,375 kilometers.

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Solar Impulse to Leave Myanmar on Sunday 29th UTC

2015 03 19 Solar Impulse 2 RTW 4th Flight Varanasi to Mandalay take-off revillard-02The Solar Impulse team has announced that the zero-fuel airplane will take off from Mandalay, Myanmar, on Monday morning at around 05:30 local time (Sunday evening around 23:00 UTC).

The plane will be piloted by Bertrand Piccard. It will head to Chongqing, China.

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Third and Fourth Solar Impulse Flights Now Completed

2015-solar-impulse-4th-leg-1The zero-fuel aircraft Solar Impulse continues its journey around the world. After spending several days on the ground in Ahmedabad, India, to have everything ready for the next flights, André Borschberg started the 4th leg of the round-the-world mission at 1:48 am UTC yesterday. He headed to Varanasi (Benares), India, where he landed at 15:03 UTC.

After a short pit-stop, Bertrand Piccard took the controls of the aircraft and took off from Varanasi at 23:52 UTC on 18 March. He landed in Mandalay, Myanmar, today at 13:21 UTC.

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Interview with Alexey Leonov, the First Man to Walk in Outer Space

Leonov-9336-8On 18 March 1965, FAI celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first space-walk. Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov achieved this feat during the Voshkod 2 mission. He stayed out in space for 12 min 9 sec, a performance that the FAI recognised as a world record in the “Extravehicular duration in space”. Born on 30 May 1934, he still lives in Russia.

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18 March 1965: Leonov Successfully Made the First Spacewalk

9336-2Today is a special day in the history of space exploration. It is the day, 50 years ago, that Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov became the first person to walk in space.

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