Around the world around the wooooorld

"phenotyp" (phenotyp) 07/26/2016 at 14:17 • Filed to: planelopnik, solar

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Don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it here yet, but Solar Impulse 2 landed in Abu Dhabi last night, having completed its trip around the world purely on solar power, over 40,000 km.

Pretty damn cool. If anyone’s reaction is kinda ‘meh,’ I’d remind them that we went from 12-second flights from airplanes made from bicycle parts to supersonic, transatlantic, and transatmospheric flights in under 50 years.

They have a pretty darn good !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , too.

CalzoneGolem > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:19

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Oh man ... I’ve said that I’m practically immune to earworms before but you just got me with your title.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:19

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Took it a year and a half and the thing can’t fly if there’s a breeze. The SR71 can do it in a few hours and fly above the weather.

RallyWrench > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:22

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This is definitely one of the coolest achievements since the Voyager flew around the world. I imagine the next step is cutting the time down significantly.

phenotyp > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 07/26/2016 at 14:23

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Sure, but it can’t do it without a shitton of JP-7...

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:24

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This can’t do it at all most of the time. You can sail around the world faster.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 07/26/2016 at 14:27

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Yeah, but remember this thing is in the Douglas World Cruiser stage of electric around-the-globe flights.

There has to be a first step.

phenotyp > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 07/26/2016 at 14:33

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Pretty sure speed wasn’t the point.

Berang > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:33

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Honestly more impressed by the pilots than the plane. Very impressive.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 07/26/2016 at 14:36

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I know. I’m being deliberately thick.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:37

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Then there is no point.

phenotyp > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 07/26/2016 at 14:38

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We’re just gonna have to go ahead and disagree, there.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:38

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And a little tetraethylene.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 07/26/2016 at 14:39

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Good... seemed a little dumb coming from you.

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > phenotyp 07/26/2016 at 14:41

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Very cool. I was recently reading that Zuckerberg is independently developing a similar platform in order to act as an in-atmosphere satellite to provide high-speed line of sight internet using lasers. The loiter time potential of these solar powered planes could have a lot of cool communication uses, even if the small payload (for now) makes them pretty useless for travel.

Berang > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 07/26/2016 at 15:35

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well... it’s still better than anything you’ve done. *:( :)