Two men are attempting to make history by flying an airplane on an around-the-world journey without a drop of fuel. Swiss business partners Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg plan to take their fully solar-powered airplane, Solar Impuse, on a 20-day and 20-night global journey. The duo hope to complete plans for the trip, which will be broken up over the course of four months, by 2015. While the plane is not the first of its kind, it is the first and only craft to sustain flight with a passenger even at night. The plane is propelled by four electric motors, and made with super lightweight carbon fibers.
Solar Impulse gained attention early this year when it set out on its first long-range flight from Switzerland to Moracco and back again — a total of 3,600 miles. The plane, unveiled in 2009 after 10 years worth of planning and engineering, has a wing span of 208 feet and a cruise speed of 43 miles per hour. The small aircraft is equipped with 12,000 solar cells and can carry a single passenger. The team hopes Solar Impulse will demonstrate how solar technology can drastically cut the use of fossil fuels in many aspects of life — even in flight.