Solar-powered plane is now flying and night
100 million Swiss francs ($92 million), the bulk of whom already have provided 60 co-sponsors, many players from major institutions and companies that support the draft celebrities, years of hard work … All came in a moving moment: sdernuto covered with apparatus, such which still did not know the history of aviation.
Swiss Solar Impulse project, introduced the audience ready machine HB-SIA (Solar Impulse Alpha) – the world’s first manned flight on solar energy, ability to remain in the air and at night.
Remember, the ultimate goal of this ambitious undertaking – the first manned flight around the world exclusively on solar energy. On the background and the start of the project, its key ideas we discussed back in 2003-m.
More detail design unique “drawn” in the 2007-meters, and are just now – Machine ready. But do not blame the Swiss for dolgostroy – they came to conquer heights, yet is not taken.
Yes, the planes were on krugosvetki, including nonstop. But – for fuel. Yes, there are airplanes that can lift the pilot into the air only by a single power solar panels deployed on the wings. But they are not able to hold in the air all night.
Finally, there are solar aircraft that can fly without landing during the day, the next night and again the day. But that – unmanned vehicles. And join all in one bottle was protected as easy.
Suppose that at noon on every square meter of the earth’s surface the sun befalls flow capacity of 1 kilowatt. But on average, per day, the capacity is only 250 watts per square meter.
In the light of wing area (approximately 200 squares), the efficiency of solar panels and converters for every 12% it turns out that average daily capacity of available non-unit – only 6 kilowatts, as the Wright brothers plane. However, he relied on fuel and total weight is nothing but a new car you need to carry a lot of batteries for night flight.
Only the incredible set of “imbalance” (the minimum weight in the giant wingspan, a delicate balance between the controllability and stability, and all that – while maintaining acceptable strength) may allow a person to fly in the sunlight. And Swiss managed to create such a device.
Solar Impulse has been officially submitted today, 26 June, the team led to their permanent leader, the famous traveler Pikkarom Bertrand (Bertrand Piccard). The presentation took place at the airport of Dübendorf near Zurich.
What got in the end?
When wingspan is almost 65 meters ( as a large Airbus) HB-SIA weighs only 1.6 tons, for which you want to thank carbon composites. In particular, carbon bar machine strong enough to withstand the elements of air, the thickness of them is the tenth of a millimeter.
On the wings spread Makhin 10 748 solar cells, and another 880 of such photovoltaic cells occupied the same horizontal surface of feathers. These cells are composed of single-crystal silicon just 130 micrometers thick. They are part of the wing and can bend in flight with him.
Night flying this machine provides a lithium-polymer batteries a total weight of 400 kilograms.
HB-SIA has yet to be the first time away from land (which is scheduled for this summer). Then followed a series of tests (fall) and, finally, the first manned “sunny” flight mode, day-night-day, that is – the world’s first human flight, without landing a duration of 36 hours only on the energy of light. This is probably already in the 2010-m.
But around the world this car does not fly. Tested on its decision Pikkara team intends to apply for the second Solar Impulse – HB-SIB, which should build in 2011. It will be noticeably larger and more powerful, with a sealed box (from the HB-SIA, she non-watertight) and better avionics than the first brother.
Here it is Pikkar and will in 2012 — m the first time, fly the Atlantic to the energy of light, a bit later – around the Earth.
Unfortunately, krugosvetka not get non-stop. Technically, Solar Impulse could fly non-stop for months at least, but everything depends on the physical possibility of the pilot.
The average speed in such a long flight (do not forget about the night phase, running on batteries energy accumulated during the previous day) was 46 km / h, explains Bertrand, and thus around the globe would have to fly for 20-25 days.
Meanwhile, up to man, do not leave the cab and running almost without sleep, this is 5 days. Weather and the autopilot will allow up to 15 minutes to 2 hours a day, explain the authors of the draft.
In fact, for greater security, are likely to be used four pieces. So the solar krugosvetku will perform a few large “jumps,” said the Swiss.
4-5 stops on the road to change will enable the pilot in the cockpit of solar device (Pikkar will alternate flights Borshbergom with Andre (Andre Borschberg), the second founder of Solar Impulse), and also – this will demonstrate the unique plane in different countries. So the real flight will take 4-5 months.
Krugosvetka it will gravitate to the equator, but most of the trip will take place in the Northern Hemisphere. Perhaps that Pikkar about Solar Impulse to repeat its surprising trip to the Breitling Orbiter 3: in 1999, Bertrand and Brian Jones (Brian Jones) made the world’s first successful nonstop krugosvetku on the hot air balloon.
Ten years of Swiss traveler has taken an important step to repeat the feat at the new spiral development of technology.
