melodious
100 kW
Smart planning. Spring has the least weather volatility effecting that particular stretch of the Pacific.
Reference https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/question-on-how-to-calculate-bouancy-force.330119/...one cubic meter container filled with air will lift a 1000 kg object against gravity. However, to be exact, in the 1000 kg you must include the mass of the container in kg and (for purists) about 1.5 kg which is the mass of the air in the container. So the "payload" will be less than 1000 kg.
VOA News
May 30, 2015 7:03 PM
A solar-powered Swiss airplane took off early Sunday for a six-day flight over the Pacific Ocean, in the most difficult leg of its journey around the globe.
Solar Impulse 2, the Swiss solar-powered plane trapped in Japan for three weeks by the rainy season, is set to take off for Hawaii early on Wednesday on the next leg of its round-the-world trip, the project's team says.
A take-off Wednesday was aborted at the last moment due to a prediction of clouds near Hawaii.
One of the weather obstacles plaguing the record-setting flight of Solar Impulse 2 is a meteorological phenomenon common over eastern Asia and the western Pacific Ocean this time of year.
The "baiu" (BUY-Yu) or "mei-yu" (MAY-Yu) front pulls in humid, tropical air from Asia and brings wet weather to much of Japan in June and July, said AccuWeather meteorologist Jim Andrews.
What a magnificent achievement already!The solar-powered plane had traveled 67 percent of the way to the tropical US state by 2100 GMT Wednesday, having flown 5,199 kilometers (3,230 miles) with 2,536 km more to go, according to the project.
By that time the plane and its veteran Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg had logged nearly 75 hours of continuous flight, having already bettered the previous record of 44 hours they had set between China and Japan.
Solar Impulse has set records for the longest solar-powered flight and longest solo flight. However, Hawaii is not its last destination but only the eight leg of the planned 13-leg flight around the globe. Until now, the plane had already completed around 80% of its planned journey.
Hmmm, engineers.The solar-powered aircraft sustained major damage to its batteries during the latest leg of its round-the-world voyage, according to a press release, and it will be two to three weeks before the aircraft flies again.
Crews monitoring the aircraft during its flight from Nagoya to Hawaii noticed the overheating batteries during the plane's first ascent of the five-day journey. Unfortunately, the team was unable to reduce temperatures due to the cyclic nature of Solar Impulse's flights. Every day, the aircraft ascends to 28,000 feet and gathers energy before gliding back down towards Earth at night. The team believes that the overheating was due to excess insulation in the battery compartment.