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Swiss pilot makes history in solar plane
thelocal.ch ^ | 6 June 2012 | AFP

Posted on 06/06/2012 10:24:14 PM PDT by smokingfrog

Bertrand Piccard, a 54-year-old Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist, landed Solar Impulse at 11.30pm (2230 GMT) under a full moon at Rabat Sale airport where he was welcomed by officials of the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency (MASEN).

Big marquees had been erected near the airport for the organizers of the flight, shown live on the site solarimpulse.com.

The plane was to stay in Rabat for five days before taking off for Ouarzazate in the south of Morocco for the launch by King Mohammed VI of construction of the largest-ever solar thermal plant.

As he got out of the aircraft, the pilot looked exhausted after the nearly 19-hour flight but was smiling. A special terminal had been set up by the Moroccan airport authorities with a large police presence.

Dozens of people, including flight organisers and Moroccan officials, gathered at the runway to witness the historic touchdown.

Piccard had taken off from Madrid's Barajas airport before dawn at 5.22am (0322 GMT) in the Solar Impulse, an aircraft as big as an Airbus A340 but as light as an average family car.

"For one hour I had the full moon on my right and I had the sunrise on my left and that was absolutely gorgeous," Piccard told AFP in an interview from the cockpit shortly after setting out.

"I had all the colours of the rainbow in the sky and also on the ground."

After more than 10 hours' flight, Piccard had climbed to more than 5,500 metres (18,000 feet).

Flying at some 45 kilometres (28 miles) per hour in the freezing, high altitude, he needed an oxygen mask to breathe.

An onboard video camera relayed images of the distant patchwork of fields and valleys stretched out below the aircraft, which has 12,000 solar cells in the wings turning four electrical motors.

(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.ch ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: piccard
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To: ArrogantBustard

DARPA vs.”he was welcomed by officials of the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency.”


41 posted on 06/07/2012 8:23:58 AM PDT by St_Thomas_Aquinas (Viva Christo Rey!)
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To: smokingfrog
SnarkSnarkSnark... this is NOT a stealthy aircraft.... SnarkSnark... there's no way it could survive combat... SnarkSnarkSnarkSnark... I bet the pilot never gets laid....SnarkSnark....

Snark.

42 posted on 06/07/2012 8:40:56 AM PDT by Lazamataz (People who resort to Godwin's Law are just like Hitler.)
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To: St_Thomas_Aquinas
Don't be too shocked, surprised, or upset when DARPA brass want a dog-n-pony show from the AlphaDog crew.

Solar power is not evil, immoral, fattening, or a communist plot. It is an interesting and developing area of technology which is potentially very useful in some applications, and not so useful in others.

43 posted on 06/07/2012 8:40:56 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Lazamataz
Have you ever gone Snark Hunting?
44 posted on 06/07/2012 8:44:37 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: ArrogantBustard
Solar power is not evil, immoral, fattening, or a communist plot. It is an interesting and developing area of technology which is potentially very useful in some applications, and not so useful in others.

I grew up in a farming area..on a farm actually. I don't know of a single farmer who has his electric livestock fence tied into the barn current anymore. Every fence is solar powered. Works great. The setup my dad has is at least 14-15 years old and never had a problem with it.

Solar is taking off with various farm uses in just about every area from the fences to oxygenators for ponds, heating water in water tanks for livestock in the winter...on and on.

Seems like every 2-3rd vendor at the Farm Science Review in Ohio has new solar panel technology applications for farm use...but we are told politically by some to hate and be wary of the use.

45 posted on 06/07/2012 12:49:18 PM PDT by trailhkr1 (All you need to know about Zimmerman, innocent = riots, manslaughter = riots, guilty = riots)
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To: trailhkr1
340 W/m2 ... It's not just a good idea, it's The Law (or, at least, the average solar irradiance).

It's not too bad an arrangement, if you don't need too many "W", and have a lot of "m2".

46 posted on 06/07/2012 1:20:37 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: ArrogantBustard

The way you are taking this so personally it appears you have invested all of your butter and egg money into this contraption.


47 posted on 06/07/2012 1:39:40 PM PDT by Eaker (When somebody hands you your arse, don't give it back saying "This needs a little more tenderizing.")
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To: Eaker
Well ...

Bless your little heart.

48 posted on 06/07/2012 2:36:59 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: ArrogantBustard

Just a guess is all.


49 posted on 06/07/2012 3:25:47 PM PDT by Eaker (When somebody hands you your arse, don't give it back saying "This needs a little more tenderizing.")
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