Solar-powered plane wraps first leg of flight across United States

(Reuters) - The flight from San Fransisco to Phoenix took 18 hours and 18 minutes on Saturday - and didn't use a drop of fuel.

A solar-powered airplane that developers hope eventually to pilot around the world landed safely in Phoenix on the first leg of an attempt to fly across the United States using only the sun's energy, project organizers said.

The plane, dubbed the Solar Impulse, took 18 hours and 18 minutes to reach Phoenix on the slow-speed flight, completing the first of five legs with planned stops in Dallas, St. Louis and Washington on the way to a final stop in New York.

The spindly-looking plane barely hummed as it took off Friday morning from Moffett Field, a joint civil-military airport near San Francisco.

It landed in predawn darkness at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, according to a statement on the Solar Impulse's website.

The flight crew plans pauses at each stop to wait for favorable weather. It hopes to reach John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in about two months.

Swiss pilots and co-founders of the project, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, will take turns flying the plane, built with a single-seat cockpit. Piccard was at the controls for the first flight to Arizona.

The lightweight carbon fiber Solar Impulse has a wingspan of a jumbo jet and the weight of a small car and from a distance resembles a giant floating insect.

The plane was designed for flights of up to 24 hours at a time and is a test model for a more advanced aircraft the team plans to build to circumnavigate the globe in 2015. It made its first intercontinental flight, from Spain to Morocco, last June.

The aircraft is propelled by energy collected from 12,000 solar cells built into the wings that simultaneously recharge four large batteries with a storage capacity equivalent to a Tesla electric car that allow it to fly after dark.

The lightweight design and wingspan allow the plane to conserve energy, but make it vulnerable. It cannot fly in strong wind, fog, rain or clouds.

The plane can climb to 28,000 feet and flies at an average of 43 miles per hour (69 km per hour).

The project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million euros ($112 million) and has involved engineers from Swiss escalator maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay.

(Reporting by David Bailey, Laila Kearney and Braden Reddall; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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Solar plane to set out to cross U.S. in early May

By Braden Reddall

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - The first crossing of the United States by a solar-powered plane is expected to start in just over a month, its creators said on Thursday, as they make final preparations for an attempt two years from now at the first round-the-world flight without any fuel.

Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and project co-founder and pilot Andre Borschberg, whose Solar Impulse made its first intercontinental flight from Spain to Morocco last June, aim for their plane to take off from near San Francisco in early May and land at New York's John F. Kennedy airport about two months later.

With the wingspan of a jumbo jet and weighing the same as a small car, the Solar Impulse is just a test model for the team as they build a new aircraft they hope will circumnavigate the globe in 2015.

The project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million euros ($112 million) and has involved engineers from Swiss lift maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay -- backers who want to test new materials and technologies while also gaining brand recognition.

Unveiling the current plane at a news conference at Moffett Field on San Francisco Bay, Borschberg highlighted the cramped conditions of the cockpit in the Solar Impulse.

"That's a bad economy seat - you would not fly on this airline," he joked. "The next one should be good business class."

While the current plane was set up for 24-hour flights, the next one would have to allow for up to five days and five nights of flying by one pilot - a feat never yet accomplished.

Meditation and hypnosis were part of the training for the pilots as they prepare to fly on very little sleep, Borschberg said, adding that some sort of autopilot system would have to be built on the next plane to allow for some rest.

The plane runs on about the same power as a motor scooter, he explained, powered by 12,000 solar cells built into the wing that simultaneously recharge the batteries - with storage equivalent to that of a Tesla electric car.

The plane has already flown a 26-hour flight, back in 2010, to prove continuous flight was possible with charging taking place in the day and battery power working at night.

Piccard, asked about the downside of solar-powered flight, agreed that there is a price paid for the small carrying capacity and massive wings.

"In that sense, it is not the easiest way to fly," he said. "But it is the most fabulous way to fly, because the more you fly, the more energy you have on board."

The first stop for the Solar Impulse as it crosses the United States will be Phoenix, followed by Dallas and then one of three cities: Atlanta, Nashville or St. Louis. It will then stop outside Washington D.C. before heading on to New York.

"It carries one pilot and zero passengers, but it carries a lot of messages," Piccard said. "We want to inspire as many people as possible to have that same spirit: to dare, to innovate, to invent."

Piccard has a pioneering legacy to maintain. His grandfather helped his father, Jacques, build a revolutionary submarine that Jacques co-piloted on the deepest-ever dive. Bertrand said he believes the basic idea behind this spirit is to find out what you deeply believe, and then try the opposite.

"Innovation is not about new ideas, it's about getting rid of old ideas."

(Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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What's it like to fly a plane with shuttle on top?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's the ultimate piggyback ride: A space shuttle perched atop a Boeing 747 as the pair crisscrosses the country.

For three decades, this was how NASA transported shuttles that landed in the California desert to their Florida home base. But it's coming to an end.

This week, four pilots took turns flying a jumbo jet mounted with space shuttle Endeavour on a multi-leg journey bound for Los Angeles where it will go on display in a museum next month.

With the shuttle fleet retired, it's the final ferry mission for a group of highly specialized aviators. The elite pilots over the years have included former astronauts, including famed pilot Gordon Fullerton.

Scores have asked what it's like to haul a 170,000-pound shuttle.

"That's a tough thing to answer," said pilot Jeff Moultrie, who will be in command when Endeavour performs an aerial tour over several California landmarks Friday. "What do you tell somebody? It's different. It's unique."

That's for sure.

For one thing, there's the noise. It is decibels louder inside the shuttle carrier aircraft compared with a commercial airliner because the interior is hollowed out to keep it as light as possible. Aside from a few seats, there are no galleys, overhead bins or even air conditioning.

In case pilots forget they're carrying precious national cargo, the constant vibrations from above jolt them back to reality.

Pilots have to be more careful when they make turns, but otherwise, the 747 handles like a regular plane. They also have to be hyper-vigilant about the weather because moisture can damage the shuttle's delicate tiles.

Built for American Airlines, NASA acquired the aircraft in 1974 and used it for test flights from Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert and ferry flights to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It obtained a second one in 1990, but it was retired earlier this year.

The four current NASA pilots who can operate the modified 747 are ex-military aviators who split their time flying other planes including zero-gravity aircraft and T-38 supersonic jets.

Even when the shuttles flew routinely, a cross-country lift wasn't always needed. To keep their skills polished, they flew practice flights every several weeks and trained in a simulator twice a year.

Moultrie, who served as a commercial pilot for a decade, said he looked forward most to soaring in close to the Hollywood Sign. Even Angelenos have to keep their distance from the famed sign, which is surrounded by a fence.

"It's bittersweet," he said of the final mission. "We definitely feel privileged to be a small part of history. But on the flip side, we're sad."

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Follow Alicia Chang at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

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Boeing Contemplates Cargo, Crewed Version of X-37B Space Plane (ContributorNetwork)

Boeing is contemplating building a larger version of the X-37B test vehicle for delivering cargo to low Earth orbit. A third phase of the winged space craft could carry astronauts to LEO as well.

* The X-37B is an unmanned test vehicle developed by Boeing's Phantom works for the United States Air Force. It is launched into low Earth orbit inside a faring on top of an Atlas V rocket. It is designed to land like the space shuttle on a runway after orbital operations are completed.

* The X-37B is 29 feet, eight inches long, nine feet, six inches high, with a wing span of 14 feet, 11 inches. Its launch weight is 11,000 pounds.

* The X-37B was first launched into low Earth orbit in April, 2010 on a top secret Air Force Mission. The vehicle landed in December of that year after a seven month flight that the Air Force said was to test certain technologies needed for orbital operations. This apparently included at least four course corrections, observed by amateur astronomers.

* The course corrections suggested that one purpose of an operation vehicle based on the X-37B would be to intercept and either capture or destroy enemy satellites in time of war. The vehicle could also be used as a quick reaction space craft to deliver military satellites to low Earth orbit as needed. An operational X-37B could deliver a conventional warhead from the continental United States to any target in the world.

* The X-37B was launched again on March 5, 2011 and is currently conducting secret military tests.

* The idea of an X-37B derived cargo or even astronaut carrier is seen as a backup plan for space vehicles now under development under NASA's commercial crew program

* If the go ahead were given, the first step would be to launch the X-37B to rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station.

* The second step would be to build a larger version of the X-37B, which would be used to carry line replacement units (LRUs) to the ISS. The flights would also demonstrate the capability of flying an autonomous space craft to the ISS with astronauts.

* The crewed version of the X-37B derived vehicle would be able to carry five to seven astronauts at a time into low Earth orbit and destinations like the ISS.

* It is unclear how such an operational derivative of the X-37B would be funded, whether by NASA or the Air Force. The Air Force had, at one time, its own manned space program, which was cancelled in the mid 1960s. Before the Challenger accident, the space shuttle flew a number of military payloads. Subsequently military flights were conducted on unmanned launchers.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post , USA Today, the L.A. Times and The Weekly Standard.

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Military loses contact with hypersonic test plane

DARPA’s (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) is shown in this undated artist's conception, released August 11, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/DARPA/Handout

WASHINGTON | Thu Aug 11, 2011 3:22pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An unmanned experimental aircraft designed to glide down from the upper atmosphere at 20 times the speed of sound lost contact with ground control on its second test flight on Thursday, a Pentagon agency said.

The Falcon HTV-2 was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a rocket and successfully separated from the launch vehicle, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said.

The arrowhead-shaped plane was expected to separate from the rocket near the peak of its ascent and glide back to earth, reaching hypersonic speed before rolling and plunging into the Pacific ocean, according to a test diagram posted online.

About 10 minutes after the flight began, DARPA tweeted that the mission was "on track, entering glide phase." But about 26 minutes later, DARPA tweeted that its monitoring stations had lost contact with the glider.

"Downrange assets did not reacquire tracking or telemetry," DARPA tweeted about an hour later. "HTV-2 has an autonomous flight termination capacity."

The loss of communications in the final stages of the test flight was a failure for the agency. During the initial flight test in April, researchers lost contact with the vehicle about nine minutes into the flight.

The Falcon HTV-2 glider is part of the Defense Department's effort to build what it calls a "prompt global strike" capability that would enable it to hit targets worldwide within an hour with conventional or nuclear warheads.

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Anthony Boadle)

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