A detailed press release just arrived today regarding Solar Impulse’s Across America Mission:
SEVERE WEATHER IN MIDWEST CHALLENGES SOLAR IMPULSE’S THIRD LEG ACROSS AMERICA
Solar Impulse to use for first time a revolutionary inflatable hangar after damage to St. Louis Hangar. Take a look at this Inflatable Hanger.
DALLAS (TX), June 2, 2013 – The strong storms that struck the St. Louis area Friday night have rendered inoperable Solar Impulse’s hangar at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The solar-powered airplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg remains scheduled to fly from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Monday, June 3, to St. Louis. To protect the aircraft upon landing after midnight CDT (UTC-5) on Tuesday, June 4, Solar Impulse will deploy a revolutionary inflatable structure for the first time.
Multiple tornadoes touched down in the St. Louis region Friday night and caused damage to several Lambert-St. Louis International Airport’s buildings including the hangar reserved for Solar Impulse. Postponing the flight is not an option, as the particularly difficult weather conditions in the region leave only very few flight possibilities between Dallas-Fort Worth and St. Louis, and it might be the only one this week. If Solar Impulse doesn’t seize this opportunity, the chances of reaching final destination of the Across America Mission as scheduled could be compromised.
Pilot Bertrand Piccard will therefore take-off Monday morning for a 21 hours flight, — his longest flight in the single-seat cockpit to date. But because of the damage caused to the official hangar in St. Louis, Solar Impulse will attempt to use its own inflatable hangar to park the aircraft. Conceived and designed by the Solar Impulse team for the world tour of 2015, this revolutionary structure will be used for the very first time in real conditions. The team will only have a few hours to deploy this innovative structure before the airplane arrives.
Starting Saturday, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport has mobilized its forces to help Solar Impulse reorganize and confront this extraordinary situation. The Logistics and Mission teams are working hand-in-hand around the clock to face the challenge of bringing the airplane safely to St. Louis and ensuring its protection upon arrival. The stopover in St. Louis during the crossing of the United States is very important and symbolic for Solar Impulse. St. Louis was chosen as the Midwest stopover to pay homage to the city’s aviation legacy, which includes aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh and his “Spirit of St. Louis,” the first airplane to fly from New York to Paris non-stop.
After St. Louis, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will continue to alternately pilot the solar airplane to reach Washington, D.C. and New York.
SOLAR IMPULSE DALLAS/FORT WORTH – LAMBERT-ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ROUTE
(please note timings might be subject to change):
04:00 a.m. CDT (11:00 a.m. Swiss Time):
Estimated take-off from Dallas/Fort Worth (TX)
06:00 a.m. CDT (01:00 p.m. Swiss Time):
Crossing the border into Oklahoma – Heading north towards Tulsa (OK): Cruising altitude 5’000 ft
07:00 a.m. CDT (02:00 p.m. Swiss Time):
Passing nearby Ardmore (OK)
09:00 a.m. CDT (04:00 p.m. Swiss Time):
Flying about 60 miles east of Oklahoma City: cruising altitude 6’000 ft
11:00 a.m. CDT (06:00 p.m. Swiss Time):
Passing the Tulsa region – heading north towards Kansas: Cruising altitude 8’000 ft
01:00 p.m. CDT (08:00 p.m. Swiss Time):
Flying nearby Independence (KS) – Turning East towards Missouri: Cruising altitude 10’000 ft
05:00 p.m. CDT (12:00 a.m. Swiss Time):
Flying between the Lake of Ozarks State Park and the Fort Leonard Wood, direction St. Louis (MO): Cruising altitude 27’000 ft
01:00 a.m. CDT (08:00 a.m. Swiss Time):
Estimated landing at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (MO)
The Solar Impulse Across America mission is made in partnership with Solvay, Schindler, Bayer Material Science, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Sunpower and the Swiss Confederation.
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR MEDIA Although the flight has been confirmed, the flight director may still decide to postpone it or alter the route shortly before take-off. Keep up to date with the latest news at www.solarimpulse.com.
TRACK THE ACROSS AMERICA 2013 MISSION ON THE INTERNET VIA COMPUTER AND MOBILE DEVICE
During the Across America mission, each flight will be streamed live on www.solarimpulse.com as well as on Twitter andFacebook. The airplane’s position, altitude and speed will be shown in real time, while cockpit and mission control cameras allow viewers to experience the journey.
HI-DEF PICTURES, PRESS RELEASES, BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS AND VIDEO FOOTAGE CAN BE DOWNLOADED AT: http://press.solarimpulse.com
User: solar-impulse
Password: zerofuelairplane-2012
ABOUT SOLAR IMPULSE
Swiss pioneers Dr Bertrand Piccard (Chairman) and André Borschberg (CEO) are the founders, pilots and the driving force behind Solar Impulse, the first airplane that can fly day and night without fuel. Solar Impulse is a unique adventure that aims to bring emotions back at the heart of scientific exploration, a flying laboratory to find innovative technological solutions for today’s challenges and a vision to inspire each of us to be pioneers in our everyday lives.
This revolutionary carbon fibre airplane has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 (63.4m / 208 ft) and the weight of a small car (1,600kg / 3,527 lb). It is the result of seven years of intense work, calculations, simulations and tests by a team of about 80 people and 100 partners and advisors. A plane so big and light has never been built before. The 12,000 solar cells built into the wing provide four 10HP electric motors with renewable energy. By day the solar cells recharge the 400kg / 881 lb lithium batteries which allow the plane to fly at night.
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Let’s hope for much better weather condition in the coming week.
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much. We are at a critical juncture in human history when individual effort and participation in the transition into renewable energy age is desperately needed! Your signature will be very meaningful in helping all earthlings! For a summary of why we need to switch to power the earth with Wind-Water-Sunlight quickly, reasons are explained by Stanford Professor Mark Z. Jacobson at http://sunisthefuture.net/?m=20110731 There are more than sixteen episodes of discussions on FIT (Feed-In-Tariff/CLEAN Program) available at http://sunisthefuture.net Please feel free to read/listen to them (type in feed-in-tariff in the search box at right).
As we approach another MidWestern state of Solar Decathlon of 2011, the state of Illinois,University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Re_home design offers a better, more sustainable solution to the problem of Illinois’ natural disasters (averaging 8 tornadoes per year), through a rapid deployment strategy. UIUC’s Re_home drew from inspiration of Midwestern prairie style aesthetics, incorporating the modern warm and inviting materials and finishes. The canopy frames the front door, creating a covered portal to the home’s formal entrance. The master bedroom is located away from the public spaces, so to provide privacy and relaxation for the residents. A second bedroom is designed as a flexible space that may be used as a bedroom, office, or extra living space. The main living space has a large and open plan intended for flexibility and reinforcement of the concept of community interaction. The design of the kitchen maintains a visual connection with the home’s main living space. As we move outdoors, the extensive deck space around the home serves as an extension of the main living spaces and invites community interaction. Overhead shading devices aid in regulating temperature of some outdoor spaces throughout the day. Solar arrays on the roof of the home provide a renewable year round power source. Preinstalled prior to shipping, the panels fold flat against the roof for easy transport. These panels are raised to their optimal angle upon their arrival on-site, allowing the array to become operational and begin generating power. Combining innovative technology and smart design, the Re_home provides a sustainable and rapidly- deployable solution to the immediate and evolving needs of families in the aftermath of a natural disaster and serves as a vehicle for recovery and renewal efforts of the community. Here is Re_home design of University of Illinois of Urbana-Champaign–>
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much. We are at a critical juncture in human history when individual effort and participation in the transition into renewable energy age is desperately needed! Your signature will be very meaningful in helping all earthlings! For a summary of why we need to switch to power the earth with Wind-Water-Sunlight quickly, reasons are explained by Stanford Professor Mark Z. Jacobson at http://sunisthefuture.net/?m=20110731 There are more than sixteen episodes of discussions on FIT (Feed-In-Tariff/CLEAN Program) available at http://sunisthefuture.net Please feel free to read/listen to them (type in feed-in-tariff in the search box at right).
As we direct our attention to MidWest portion of the Solar Decathlon 2011, Purdue University’s INhome design presents us with the blend of versatility, comfort, and innovation. The INhome harnesses the sun’s energy to generate electricity from an array of 8.5 kilowatt of PV, enabling the house to be net zero. It also utilizes passive shading technique to optimize house performance. For example, the South facing windows allow sunlight to enter the house during winter and the roof overhang provides the shade during summer. Inside the house, some special features are: the open floor plan (between living room, dining room, and family room) allows for ease of communication; vaulted ceiling enhances elegance and daytime lighting of the house from the windows (which also provides natural ventilation when outdoor weather condition permits open windows); the living/bio wall that is integrated with HVAC system to filter out contaminants in the air;centrally and conveniently located bathroom;fully equipped with cost effective and energy efficient appliances, kitchen is open and easily accessible for free flow of communication. The attached garage completes the MidWestern home owners’ need in dealing with extreme weather conditions in winter months. Let’s have a look at this design of comfort, versatility, and innovation—>
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
If you are in favor of renewable/CLEAN energy, please sign the petition page showing support for FIT/CLEAN Program at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065 Thank you.
My concerned friends/readers from Midwest (MI and IL) and Canada, I can assure you that there will be plenty of sunshine for you to also become involved with solar energy projects! The sunlight that our solar system is exposed to could either be direct (unobstructed by clouds) or diffused (filtered either by clouds or atmosphere). Although the amount of diffused sunlight (caused by cloud) would increase as we head northward, solar technology can use either form (direct or diffused) of sunlight to produce electricity by using a well-designed PV (photovoltaic) system. As a matter of fact, besides geographical location, seasons, elevation, and angle of the sun can also affect the usable amount of solar energy. To increase the amount of energy produced, solar tracker (either 1-axis/single axis or 2-axis/dual axis) devices are introduced to orient various payloads (such as PV panels, reflectors, collectors, lenses, etc.) toward the sun. Typically, a 1-axis or single axis tracker has one degree of freedom and changes its orientation throughout the day, while a 2-axis or dual axis tracker have two degrees of freedom that would change its orientation throughout the day and from season to season.
A backyard installation of passive single–axis trackers, DC rated at 2340 watts. Seen here in winter midday position, tilted toward the south. The tall poles allow walk-under and use of the ground space underneath the panels for plantings that thrive on protection from the intense midday summer sun at this location
At this point, I want to share with you a really cool looking house, the Gemini House/Gemini Haus, that rotates in its entirety and the solar panels rotate independently, allowing control of the natural heating from the sun. What a great way to ensure that the sun always shine on your photovoltaic array! Gemini House (or Gemini Haus) was designed by Roland Mosl, to combine innovative solar technology and an eye-catching aesthetic. It was the first energy plus house (self-sufficient, and sometimes more) in Austria.
Gemini House/Gemini Haus rotates in its entirety and the solar panels rotate independently, allowing control of the natural heating from the sun. The inventor stands in the middle of the group
