太阳能飞机穿越大西洋后着陆夏威夷

AS IT IS 2015-07-07 Solar-Powered Plane Lands in Hawaii after Crossing the Pacific 太阳能飞机穿越大西洋后着陆夏威夷

A plane that uses only solar power landed on the island of Oahu, Hawaii on Friday after being flown across the Pacific Ocean. The flight was the most dangerous part of the plane’s planned 35,000-kilometer trip around the world. The trip is being made without using any fuel.

The name of the plane is Solar Impulse¹ 2. Pilot Andre Borschberg now holds the record for the longest non-stop solo² flight in history. American adventurer Steve Fossett held the previous record after he flew around the world in 76 hours. Mr. Borschberg’s trip lasted 120 hours.

“Well there he goes, the cockpit door is open. The first person to say hello is, of course, Bertrand Piccard, who had this idea back in 1999.”

During the trip Mr. Borschberg slept in the cockpit of the plane for regular periods of 20 minutes. During those periods, the airplane used autopilot.

The flight began in Nagoya, Japan early last week after a month-long stop. The stop was not part of the trip’s original plan. During the plane’s trip from Nanjing, China to Hawaii at the beginning of June, bad weather forced it to land in Nagoya.

Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard will fly the airplane on the next part of the trip from Hawaii to the western American state of Arizona. The plane is then to be flown to New York and across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. From there, it will fly to its final destination -- Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Borschberg and Mr. Piccard designed the Solar Impulse 2. They say they are not trying to completely change the aviation³ industry. They said they are only trying to show what can be done. In a statement, Mr. Piccard said “Can you imagine that a solar-powered airplane without fuel can now fly longer than a jet⁴ plane? This is a clear message that clean technologies can achieve impossible goals.”

The plane is made from carbon-fiber material. The plane’s wingspan is 72 meters. That is longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 plane. It has just one seat and weighs about as much as an automobile⁵. The plane’s wings have 17,000 solar cells that gather energy from the sun and charge the plane’s batteries.

The airplane has stopped in many places, including Oman, India, Myanmar and China. If the weather conditions are good, the plane will make up to three stops in the United States. It will then cross the Atlantic Ocean, stopping in southern Europe and North Africa. In late July or early August, the plane will land in Adu Dhabi, where the trip began in early March.

Words in This Story

solo – adj. done without another person

cockpit – n. the area in a boat or airplane where the pilot or driver sits

autopilot – n. a device⁶ that steers⁷ a ship, aircraft or spacecraft in place of a person

destination – n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent

carbon-fiber – n. a very strong, lightweight, man-made material made from acrylic

solar cell – n. a device that uses light or heat from the sun to produce electricity

aviation – n. the business or practice of flying airplanes and helicopters

alternative – adj. not usual or traditional

1 impulse   

n.（一时的）冲动，冲力，脉冲，神经冲动

参考例句：

• She wrote that letter on impulse.她一时冲动写了这封信。
• I don't know how to resist my impulse.我不知道怎样抑制自己的感情冲动。

2 solo   

n.独奏，独唱；adj.单独的；adv.单独地；v.放单飞，单独表演

参考例句：

• Tara is currently working on a solo album.塔拉眼下正忙着制作个人专辑。
• There's wonderfully lyrical flute solo in the middle of this symphony.在交响乐中间有一段奇妙的抒情长笛独奏。

3 aviation   

n.航空，航空学，飞机制造业

参考例句：

• Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前，他们开始发展航空工业。
• Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。

4 jet   

n.喷气发动机，喷气式飞机；v.喷出，喷射

参考例句：

• Put a match to the jet to light the gas.将火柴放在煤气喷嘴上点燃煤气。
• I don't see the jet of your plan.我不明白你的计划的要点。

5 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

6 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

7 steers   

n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• This car steers easily. 这部车子易于驾驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fodder fleshed the steers up. 优质饲料使菜牛长肉。 来自辞典例句