Something To Talk About At Dinner
News bite from xyza: news for kids
The Sun Beneath My Wings
Here’s a question: Can a solar-powered airplane make it around the world?
We think it can.
It all began in 2015 when two pilots by the names of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg set out to fly around the world in their solar-powered aircraft, the Solar Impulse 2. The goal wasn’t to break records (but they did!), but to show the world what clean technologies, like a solar-powered airplane, can do. And boy have they done just that! Since their journey began in Abu Dhabi in March of 2015, Bertrand and André have traveled over 18,500 miles on, you guessed it: sun power! The 17,000 solar cells attached to the wings of the Solar Impulse 2 collect energy from the sun to help power the engines of the airplane so that it can fly just like a normal airplane does with jet fuel. Cool, right?
Earlier this week, Betrand and André set off to complete the 15th leg of their journey — the long and dangerous flight across the Atlantic Ocean from New York City to Seville, Spain. Why so dangerous? Traveling over large bodies of water is always tricky because there is nowhere to land in an emergency, but traveling over the Atlantic Ocean is even trickier because of the unpredictable weather in that area.
How long do you think it will take them to fly across the Atlantic Ocean? They anticipate anywhere between 90 and 118 hours.
Update: Since we last checked, Bertrand and André made it to Seville, Spain today after an approximate 72 hours of flying. Way to go, guys!
