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Solar plane prototype flies first test flight

APR 07, 2010
Physics Today
BBC News : A prototype solar-powered plane has made its first full test flight - coming closer to the goal of using solar energy to fly around the world.The Solar Impulse, with a wingspan similar to that of a super-jumbo jet but weighing the same as a saloon car, took off from a Swiss airfield.The plane’s wings are covered by solar cells which power four electric motors.Its designers hope a slightly larger production model will circumnavigate the globe in two years’ time.
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