Guest Thinkers — July 9, 2010

Solar Powered Flight Success

“An aircraft fueled by the sun has accomplished its first ever manned night flight,” reports the New Scientist. The Swiss aircraft broke several records for a piloted solar flight.

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“An aircraft fueled by the sun has accomplished its first ever manned night flight,” reports the New Scientist. The Swiss aircraft broke several records for a piloted solar flight. “The craft took off at 6:51 local time yesterday morning from the Payerne airbase in Switzerland. André Borschberg, one of the cofounders of the project and the craft’s sole pilot, guided its gradual ascent during the day. Its power was collected by 12,000 solar panels built into its 63-metre wingspan. During the hours of bright sun, batteries siphoned off some energy to power the plane through the night.”

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Technology & Innovation

World’s First Solar-Powered Plane Can Fly At Night, Too

It has wings coated in photovoltaic cells that power four electric motors, and next month, the Solar Impulse single-seater will fly from California to New York.

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Thinking

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10 min

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with

Annaka Harris

Starts With A Bang

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Since the mid-1960s, the CMB has been identified with the Big Bang’s leftover glow. Could any alternative explanations still work?

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Health

The first known animal that’s “immune” to alcohol intoxication

Could studying the Oriental hornet lead to a treatment for people with alcohol use disorder?

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