Solar Impulse completes first solar-powered round-the-world flight
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029973
BBC : After traveling for more than a year and making some 17 stops along the way, Solar Impulse 2 has successfully completed the first-ever circumnavigation of Earth by a solar-powered aircraft. The plane touched down earlier today in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where it had begun its historic journey on 9 March 2015. The project was the brainchild of André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland, who took turns piloting the craft on its 42 000 km journey across four continents, three seas, and two oceans. Over the course of the trip, the two set 19 official aviation records, including longest uninterrupted solo flight when Borschberg flew 8924 km from Nagoya, Japan, to Kalaeloa, Hawaii.