The world's first solar-powered plane has announced its first U.S. trip. It will take off from NASA's Mountain View, CA campus and fly to airports in Phoenix, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and New York. Wall Street Journal reports:
Its creators say the Solar Impulse is designed to showcase the potential of solar power and will never replace fuel-powered commercial flights. The delicate, single-seat plane cruises around 40 miles per hour and can't fly through clouds. "The more you fly the more energy you have stored in the batteries, so it's absolutely fabulous to imagine all the possibilities the people can have with these technologies in their daily lives," said Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse co-founder and chairman.