Solar Plane Completes Spain-Morocco Flight

Solar Impulse
(photo from Wikipedia)

On a day when Venus began its transit of the Sun, an earthling boarded a solar plane in Madrid. His destination was the Moroccan capital, Rabat. The aircraft, known as the Solar Impulse and entirely powered by the Sun's energy, took nineteen lumbering hours to complete the flight.

It takes guts and imagination to attempt something daringly new. Pilot Bertrand Piccard had the courage and the vision to attempt the solar-powered flight. In that way, he can now stand with proud aviators, such as the Wright brothers and Charles Lindbergh. Like those early fliers, Piccard achieved a feat that seems straight from old-fashioned comic books.

The BBC report on Piccard's endeavor provides useful background on some key challenges the pilot faced. It's a wonderful story that offers hope for our collective future.