Swiss adventurer Betrand Piccard is starting to test his solar powered plane.
The idea of building a solar-powered plane capable of completing a round-the-world flight once seemed like, well, a mere flight of fancy. Swiss adventurer Betrand Piccard, known for piloting the first hot-air balloon nonstop around the world in 1999, first floated the idea several years ago, then set out to raise $90 million. Piccard recently unveiled a one-passenger prototype plane, the Solar Impulse, which has a long wingspan of 262.5 feet to provide maximum surface area for the 12,000 solar cells needed to power the craft via its four electric battery-charged motors. – From James List