|
Piccard Preps for Solar-Powered Global Flight in 2010
Bertrand Piccard, famed for his 1999 ’round the world balloon flight aboard the Breitling Orbiter, plans to circle the globe in the sun- and battery-powered Solar Impulse in 2010 to promote renewable energy sources and sustainable economic development. The world economy’s dependence on oil inevitably will strangle it as oil prices rise, Piccard asserted.
“This project is bringing admiration and excitement to the public. We’re carrying on all the wishes of scientists as we plan to fly with no fuel and no pollution,” Piccard said Monday. “In 2003, we launched a vision and now we have a real program.”
The goal is to encourage use of alternative energy sources by a wide range of industries outside of aviation. Piccard acknowledged that it would be a mistake to assume that the public will be flying around in solar-powered air transports anytime soon.
Solar Impulse is planned as a 4,400-lb aircraft with a 262-ft wingspan, essentially the same as the A380’s wing. It will be powered by twin 20-hp electric motors powered by 2,700-sq-ft of mono-crystalline solar cells atop the wings and 880 lbs of Lithium ion batteries housed in four underwing pods. The batteries are used for takeoff power and for night flight. The aircraft will cruise between 10,000 and 40,000 ft, so the pilot will ride in an underslung pod with 7.3 psi pressurization.
Solar Impulse will depart from an extremely sunny location, such as the United Arab Emirates near the Straits of Hormuz or Albuquerque, New Mexico. The route of flight will be in the northern hemisphere to maximize time over land and at latitudes between 10 and 30 degrees for the best weather and sun conditions. Five legs are planned, each lasting three to five days. Stopovers will be scheduled for the best media coverage and for earning the most political capital.
The aircraft will cruise at 27 KTAS at low altitude and 54 KTAS at high altitude. Estimated stall speed is 19 KIAS, so the average cruise speed will be only 1.43 Vso. After charging the batteries on the ground with the solar cells the previous day, Solar Impulse will depart before dawn and start a slow climb to 40,000 ft as solar radiation increases during the morning hours. Maximum altitude will be attained just after noon with maximum solar radiation. As solar radiation decreases in the afternoon, Solar Impulse will start a very slow descent to its nighttime cruise altitude of 10,000 ft. The relatively low cruise speeds were dictated by the need to slow the descent rate to 50 to 70 fpm during the afternoon descent. This cycle will be repeated during subsequent days and nights during each leg.
Piccard claims he can build the aircraft for less than $50 million, a quarter of which he’s already raised. Environmentally conscious Solvay, the chemical, plastics and pharmaceuticals group based in Brussels, is a main sponsor. Altran is providing engineering and project management consulting. Semper is an official supporter and Victorinox is underwriting some services.
Institutional partners include the Swiss Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, the European Space Agency and Dassault Aviation, which is providing aeronautical advise.
Piccard is concerned about the legacy his generation will leave future generations. “If we don’t change our behavior, we risk an economic crisis like the 1930s because [in a few years] the price of oil will be so high that it will destroy the productivity of industry,” Piccard warned. He’s equally concerned about the detrimental effect high rates of oil combustion have on the environment. —Fred George
back
to ShowNews home
|
