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Next Solar Impulse aircraft and nanotechnology josep saldaña, August 13, 2010 tags: nanomaterial + carbon nanotubes + energy + video
Illustration of the Solar Impulse prototype. Credit: Solar Impulse/EPFL Claudio Leonardi.
The Solar Impulse aircraft, which is powered only by solar energy, has triumphantly completed its first night flight. The ultralight aircraft was airborne for a total of 26 hours – from 7 am on July 7 until 9 am the following day (Central European Time) – before finally landing as planned at Payerne airbase in Switzerland. It is now officially the first manned aircraft capable of flying day and night without fuel, powered entirely by solar energy.
stages, each lasting five days, traveling at an average speed of 70 km/h. Source: BAYNEWS - The Bayer Press Server - Solar Impulse aircraft successfully completes its first night flight. Bayer MaterialScience contributes innovative materials to long-range solar-powered aircraft
“We extend our sincere congratulations to Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg of Solar Impulse, and are delighted to be part of this terrific achievement,” says Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience. “This is a further milestone on the way to the first solar-powered circumnavigation of the globe. We are proud to be an official partner of the Solar Impulse project and to make a further positive contribution to climate-friendly mobility with our innovative materials.”
Bertrand Piccard, Initiator of Solar Impulse, says support from Bayer MaterialScience is a significant boost for the project. “I’ve always been fascinated by nanotechnology. Now, with Bayer MaterialScience as an official partner, we will be able to make our airplane even lighter and more efficient. We look forward with great enthusiasm to being able to tap into the company’s renowned expertise and innovative materials.” Bayer MaterialScience will support the Source: Bayer MaterialScience Swiss-based Solar Impulse initiative becomes official partner for Solar with technical expertise, high-tech Impulse. polymer materials and energy-saving
In 2013 a second prototype is scheduled to fly right round the world in five
Nanotechnology: Engines On
Bayer MaterialScience has become an official partner of the Solar Impulse project. Its founders Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg are developing the first manned aircraft aiming to fly around the world day and night without fuel, propelled by solar energy only. The latest cutting-edge technology is incorporated into the prototype airplane, which has the wingspan of a large airliner (63.40 meters) and the weight of a midsize car (1.600 kilograms). Some 12,000 solar cells cover its surface to run 4 electrical engines and store the solar energy for the night in 400 kilograms of lithium batteries.
lightweight products. Baytubes® carbon nanotubes from Bayer MaterialScience, for example, could increase battery performance and improve the strength of structural components while keeping their weight to a minimum. Other potential applications include innovative adhesives, polyurethane rigid foams for paneling in the cockpit and engine, and extremely thin yet break-resistant polycarbonate films and sheet for the cockpit glazing.
nanowiki.info