The first fully solar-powered plane completed a 24-hour test flight Thursday, demonstrating its capability to fly through the night with power stored during daylight hours.
The utlimate goal of the Swiss-based Solar Impulse project is to fly around the world using only solar power to inspire greater achievement with renewable power.
The plane gathers power from 12,000 solar cells embedded along its 207-foot wingspan. The project has been underway for seven years, and this flight was a major milestone, proving that the single-seat plane could theoretically stay aloft indefinitely using only solar power.
The team now plans to attempt a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean before trying to fly around the world in 2013, making only 5 stops along the way.
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