Hardware Podcasts

How This Pilot Survived The Longest Solo Flight EVER! Solar Impulse 2 #25

Hard Tech Podcast · 25 Oct 2024 · 12m

What this episode covers

Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the creators of Solar Impulse 2, explain how they engineered a solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe without fuel. The episode details the extreme lightweight design using carbon fiber and foam, the integration of 17,000 solar cells, and the critical battery management system that allowed for day-night flight cycles. It highlights the human endurance challenges faced by pilots, including cockpit insulation and sleep management, and the technical failure of overheated batteries during the Pacific crossing that required a major repair delay.

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early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Products
Solar Impulse 2
Also
Bertrand Piccard, Andre Borschberg, R.J. Boucher

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