Up, Up and Away - The Solar Impulse

Last week the "Solar Impulse" made aviation history when it stayed aloft for 26 hours, at altitudes exceeding 28,000 feet, proving a solar-powered aircraft could fly through the night.

Pictures of the craft show a beautiful, fragile silhouette against the sky - the stuff that dreams are made of. (Click on the post title to see a picture gallery.)

While part of me wishes this extraordinary feat had been accomplished by a U. S. team, sponsored by U. S. companies, that cannot detract from my excitement and admiration for the visionaries that accomplished it.

According to UPI.com, "The plane has a wingspan of more than 208 feet. The wings are covered with 12,000 highly efficient solar panels that charge the craft's 880 pounds of batteries. The plan was flown...over western Switzerland during the test."

And Reuters.com, "The projects budget is $100 million Swiss francs ($94 million), 80 million francs of which has been secured from sponsors, according to spokeswoman Rachel de Bros. Belgian chemicals company Solvay, Swiss watchmaker Omega, part of the Swatch group, and German banking giant Deutsche Bank, are the three main sponsors. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), one of two Swiss federal polytechnical universities, is scientific advisor."

The development team hopes last week's achievement will bring in additional funding for future plans for transoceanic and trans global flights.