Solar Airplane Crosses The U.S.

An unusual aircraft landed in New York City on July 6. Solar Impulse, a solar-powered airplane, flew 3,511 miles day and night across the U.S., starting in San Francisco and making stops in Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Washington, D.C. A brainchild of Swiss adventurers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, the craft was built with support from Solvay, Bayer MaterialScience, and other partners (C&EN, Jan. 14, page 23). Solar Impulse had previously made a series of flights in Europe. The team is now working on a second-generation plane that it plans to fly around the world in 2015.