{"id":9867,"date":"2015-04-23T19:20:55","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T02:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=9867"},"modified":"2015-04-23T19:20:55","modified_gmt":"2015-04-24T02:20:55","slug":"solar-impulse-readied-pacific-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/solar-impulse-readied-pacific-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Impulse Readied for Pacific Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Andre\u2019 Borschberg recuperating in Switzerland, Bertrand Piccard flew Solar Impulse 2 on the last leg of its China stay, making a 17 hour, 22 minute, 1,344 kilometer (725.7 nautical mile) flight between Chongquing and Nanjing.\u00a0 The plane is being readied for its biggest leap so far, from Nanjing to Hawaii, a five-day mission that will test the endurance of the pilot and all systems of the giant ultralight aircraft.<\/span> The Star, a Malaysian newspaper<\/a>, reported what could be a growing concern.\u00a0 \u201c\u2019Can we make the pilot sustainable as well?\u2019 Andre Borschberg said by video link from Switzerland, where he is receiving treatment for health problems.\u201d\u00a0 He described his problems as \u201cshingles,\u201d with frequent migraines, both painful inflictions.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Solar Impulse Team is always on hand, and always enthusiastic. SolarImpulse.com<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201c\u2019This will be the human challenge when we tackle the next leg,\u2019 he told an audience of reporters.\u201d\u00a0 Borschberg is scheduled to rejoin the airplane in Nanjing, where he and Piccard will plan the Pacific crossing. \u00a0This may be a greater issue than the meteorological or mechanical problems faced so far. \u00a0This leg of the round-the-world voyage was delayed for three weeks while the team waited for a favorable “weather window.”<\/p>\n

\"14,000<\/a>

14,000 feet above the Chinese countryside, a perfect setting for an adventurous selfie. SolarImpulse.com<\/p><\/div>\n

While on way to Nanjing, Piccard became to first user of a Chinese selfie stick to snap a few pictures of himself and SI2 14,000 feet above the earth.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gseRsHyKLWk<\/p>\n

Your editor discovered this revelatory video on Youtube, providing insights into the construction, operation, and problems of the four-meter (over 13 feet) propellers that pull HB-SIB through the air.\u00a0 The fact that the team had to install a \u201cteetering\u201d mechanism in the propeller hubs resembles the solution Eric Raymond used on his propeller on Sunseeker I.\u00a0 The device helps to reduce vibrations at different frequencies as the props vary their speeds.<\/p>\n