Solar Impulse has departed on its 5th and most challenging flight to date on its round-the-world journey. It took off from Mandalay in Myanmar at 3:36am (local time) on March 30, 2015. It is bound for Chongqing in China. The anticipated flight time is 19 hours covering a distance of 1,375 kilometres. It is a […]
CERN blows a fuse
After planning to restart the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva on 23 March 2015 it has now been delayed for several weeks. A short circuit in one of the powerful magnets that power the particle beams is responsible. Because the magnets are chilled to close to absolute zero it will need to be warmed […]
Path of total solar eclipse
Friday 20 March 2015, will bring a total solar eclipse to Europe. Electrical power grids across Europe will be hit by a drop in solar-produced electricity. In the European Union the drop could be as high as 34 GW. Temperatures will also drop by around 3 degrees Celsius. It will occur in the morning and […]
CERN: Bigger bangs imminent
“What happens when the mass of the black hole eventually becomes extremely small is not quite clear, but the most reasonable guess is that it would disappear completely in a tremendous final burst of emission, equivalent to the explosion of millions of H-bombs.” – Dr. Stephen Hawking The scientists at CERN Geneva are gearing up […]
Swiss aviators beat Richard Branson around the world
“If the round-the-world balloon flight was the final adventure of the 20th Century, Solar Impulse is without doubt the first to encapsulate the challenges of the 21st” – Albert II, Prince of Monaco. When it comes to pioneering spirit, a few Swiss names stand proud on the international stage, including three generations of the Piccard family […]
Never trust the advice of friends and family
This was one piece of advice to would be entrepreneurs at the Innovation Forum at EPFL in Lausanne last night. “Innovation” that increasingly over-used and tired word is one much bandied around by those who observe from behind the safety of their corporate desks, academic podia and political soap boxes. Last night the word won […]
Solar Impulse breaks a new record
Ahmedabad – March 10, 2015: After an eleven hour pit-stop in Muscat (Oman) Bertrand Piccard took the controls from André Borschberg and continued onwards over the Arabian sea to India. Solar Impulse landed in Ahmedabad (India) in the state of Gujarat at 11:25pm local time (5:55pm GMT) after 13 hours and 20 minutes of flying reaching an altitude […]
Lift off – Solar impulse is on its way around the world
Abu Dhabi, UAE – March 9, 2015: The Solar Impulse team in Abu Dhabi guided by Mission Control in Monaco, saw Solar Impulse 2 take-off this morning. André Borschberg flew the first stage of the round-the-world flight to Muscat in Oman. Piccard will take the reins in Oman and continue onward to Ahmedabad (India). Co-pilots Piccard and […]
First solar-powered world flight imminent
Solar impulse, the 100% sun-powered Swiss aircraft, is nearing the starting blocks of its around the world flight. After recently completing three training flights in Abu Dhabi, the start point, the team is ready and predicts take-off on 7 March 2015. Back in 2014 the Solar Impulse team, after demonstrating that they could fly their […]
Solar Impulse 2 announces around world flight path
The Swiss pilots of Solar Impulse 2 unveiled the flight path they plan to take on their 35,000 kilometre around the world journey ahead of take-off from Abu Dhabi. Solar Impulse 2 will take-off from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, in late February or early March and return by late July or early […]
