Comments on: Solar Impulse plane lands, completing world's first intercontinental flight powered by the sun (photos)

By: benher

benher — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:35:00 +0000

“Still, said continents are a mere 14kms apart…”

Way to take the solar out of my sails.

By: benher

benher — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:33:00 +0000

Dude… if the magnet people find out about this, they’re going to be SO miffed.

By: benher

benher — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:33:00 +0000

The earth isn’t a closed system, it’s powered by the sun!
So f”’ those damn creationists, doomsday, get my gun!

By: GlyphGryph

GlyphGryph — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 14:35:00 +0000

Geothermal energy comes from the same place the sun came from (the material that eventually formed into the solar system) but that is completely different from coming from the sun.

By: Bicycle Bill

Bicycle Bill — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:38:00 +0000

Meh — look up and read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “Sunjammer” (alternate title: “The Wind from the Sun”) if you want to talk about real solar-powered travel.

By: schrutzki

schrutzki — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:03:00 +0000

Hmm. “Intercontinental Flight” stuns me. Invokes Lindbergh, Earheart et. al.
Still, said continents are a mere 14kms apart…

Reminds me of a visit to Istanbul, where I once jumped (backwards!) from Asia
to Europe :-)

By: mat catastrophe

mat catastrophe — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:39:00 +0000

Why does “reply” disappear again?

Anyway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLkGSV9WDMA

By: IamInnocent

IamInnocent — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:57:00 +0000

There is a misunderstanding here: the real achievement is to not drop like an anvil at those speeds.

By: IamInnocent

IamInnocent — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:54:00 +0000

That is why it’s all lit up, to illuminate the solar panels. ;)

By: Dirk Jennings

Dirk Jennings — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:20:00 +0000

Pollution free? Er, no.

By: Ashen Victor

Ashen Victor — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:48:00 +0000

”Why the flight path from Madrid to Morocco?”
-Because in summer there are nearly zero clouds over Spain and Morocco.

“Isn’t 19 hours a really long time for that distance?”
- Yes, it´s a freaking long time.

By: mjfgates

mjfgates — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:20:00 +0000

It’s an 838 mile drive, according to Google. So, just about forty-five miles per hour, which is pretty darned slow.

By: Mark Dow

Mark Dow — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:40:00 +0000

The primary source of gravity which produced signficant planetary heating of the earth would have been from the sun.

Heavy radioactive elements responsible for heating are thought to be due to supernova, not from our (the) sun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_nucleosynthesis

By: Matt Palenske

Matt Palenske — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:34:00 +0000

Finally, one less thing I’ll potentially have to feel guilty about for flying out to see the fam!

By: niktemadur

niktemadur — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:20:00 +0000

…project president and pilot, Bertrand Piccard…

The man gets around, doesn’t he?

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:18:00 +0000

The primary source of gravity which produced signficant planetary heating of the earth would have been from the sun.

That’s not how gravity works. Nor is it how latent heat works. I’ll give you the radioactive materials.

By: eldritch

eldritch — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:58:00 +0000

The primary source of gravity which produced signficant planetary heating of the earth would have been from the sun. The latent heat, likewise, originally came from the sun. As did the radioactive materials.

So yes, geothermal does ultimately come from the sun.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Gravity, latent heat, radioactive decay.

By: Jeremy Mastroianni

Jeremy Mastroianni — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:33:00 +0000

“man gives thumbs up while soaked in his own urine” :)

By: Jeremy Mastroianni

Jeremy Mastroianni — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:31:00 +0000

indeed good fellow

By: Kimmo

Kimmo — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:25:00 +0000

Holy crap! /does a little dance

By: mat catastrophe

mat catastrophe — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:19:00 +0000

What do you think heated up the geo? Ultimately?

By: GlyphGryph

GlyphGryph — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:12:00 +0000

Not geothermal!

By: mat catastrophe

mat catastrophe — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 03:06:00 +0000

Isn’t everything, ultimately, powered by the sun?

By: themac

themac — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 03:05:00 +0000

I think this is way cool but what exactly was the flight path from Madrid to Morocco? Isn’t 19 hours a really long time for that distance?

By: Yayan Surohman

Yayan Surohman — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Wow it’s great flight..

By: Marius van Voorden

Marius van Voorden — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 02:19:00 +0000

But, but… it’s night!

By: James Salsman

James Salsman — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 02:15:00 +0000

There have been many more heavy-duty and multi-passenger electric aircraft in the past couple years; up from essentially zero prior to that. They are chronicled on http://blog.cafefoundation.org/