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| Solar Impulse completes Pacific crossing | Solar Impulse completes Pacific crossing |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The solar-powered aeroplane Solar Impulse has completed a three-day flight over the Pacific Ocean. | |
| It flew over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday evening as it prepared to land in California. | It flew over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday evening as it prepared to land in California. |
| The plane took off from Hawaii on Thursday, where it had undergone repairs for the past eight months after its batteries were damaged during a flight from Japan. | |
| This is the ninth leg of its attempt to fly round the world. | This is the ninth leg of its attempt to fly round the world. |
| "I crossed the bridge. I am officially in America," said pilot Bertrand Piccard as he flew above San Francisco Bay. | "I crossed the bridge. I am officially in America," said pilot Bertrand Piccard as he flew above San Francisco Bay. |
| Solar Impulse started the journey last March in Abu Dhabi. The trip has involved two different pilots flying separate legs. | Solar Impulse started the journey last March in Abu Dhabi. The trip has involved two different pilots flying separate legs. |
| Piccard is to land the plane at Moffett Airfield, located in Mountain View in Silicon Valley. | |
| Winds have delayed the landing. | |
| Solar Impulse gets all its energy from the sun - through the 17,000 photovoltaic cells that cover the top surfaces of the craft. | Solar Impulse gets all its energy from the sun - through the 17,000 photovoltaic cells that cover the top surfaces of the craft. |
| These power propellers during the day but also charge batteries that the vehicle's motors can then call on during the night. | |
| The distance on this leg was 4,000km or 2,200 nautical miles. | The distance on this leg was 4,000km or 2,200 nautical miles. |
| Starting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in March, Solar Impulse crossed Oman, India, Myanmar, and China. | Starting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in March, Solar Impulse crossed Oman, India, Myanmar, and China. |
| It then flew to Japan, before undertaking a 8,924km passage to Hawaii. | It then flew to Japan, before undertaking a 8,924km passage to Hawaii. |
| That five-day, five-night crossing set a record for the longest ever non-stop solo aeroplane journey. | That five-day, five-night crossing set a record for the longest ever non-stop solo aeroplane journey. |
| But the vehicle's batteries overheated during the trip, forcing the project to stop on the Pacific archipelago while repairs were conducted. | But the vehicle's batteries overheated during the trip, forcing the project to stop on the Pacific archipelago while repairs were conducted. |
| A further 20m euros (£16m; $23m) had to be raised from supporters during the winter to keep the project going for another year. | A further 20m euros (£16m; $23m) had to be raised from supporters during the winter to keep the project going for another year. |
| Piccard shares flying duties with his business partner, Andre Borschberg. | Piccard shares flying duties with his business partner, Andre Borschberg. |
| It was Borschberg who flew into Kalaeloa last July and he will take the controls on the next leg across the US mainland. | |
| The pair's intention is to reach New York by the start of June, to begin preparations for an Atlantic crossing. | The pair's intention is to reach New York by the start of June, to begin preparations for an Atlantic crossing. |
| Assuming this is completed successfully, it should then be a relatively straightforward run back to the "finish line" in Abu Dhabi. | Assuming this is completed successfully, it should then be a relatively straightforward run back to the "finish line" in Abu Dhabi. |
| Piccard and Borschberg have been working on the Solar Impulse project for more than a decade. | Piccard and Borschberg have been working on the Solar Impulse project for more than a decade. |
| They first trialled a smaller plane, taking it on a trans-America crossing in 2013. | They first trialled a smaller plane, taking it on a trans-America crossing in 2013. |
| The version of the vehicle they currently fly is considerably bigger. | The version of the vehicle they currently fly is considerably bigger. |
| Its wingspan is wider than a 747 jumbo jet, and yet it weighs only 2.3 tonnes. | |
| 'Living creation' | 'Living creation' |
| Because the prop-driven craft moves so slowly, mission legs can take several days and nights of continuous flight. | Because the prop-driven craft moves so slowly, mission legs can take several days and nights of continuous flight. |
| This means Piccard and Borschberg - whoever is at the controls - have to stay alert for nearly all of the time they are airborne. | This means Piccard and Borschberg - whoever is at the controls - have to stay alert for nearly all of the time they are airborne. |
| They are permitted only catnaps of up to 20 minutes - in the same way a single-handed, round-the-world yachtsman would catch small periods of sleep. | They are permitted only catnaps of up to 20 minutes - in the same way a single-handed, round-the-world yachtsman would catch small periods of sleep. |
| They also have to endure the physical discomfort of being confined in a cockpit that measures just 3.8 cubic metres in volume - not a lot bigger than a public telephone box. | They also have to endure the physical discomfort of being confined in a cockpit that measures just 3.8 cubic metres in volume - not a lot bigger than a public telephone box. |
| But Borschberg says the experience so far has been exhilarating. | But Borschberg says the experience so far has been exhilarating. |
| "An experimental plane is a living creation," he told BBC News. "Each flight you do brings new learning that you can use to improve the quality, reliability and performance of the aeroplane." | |
| LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute | LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute |
| LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes | LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes |
| LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes | LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes |
| LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes | LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes |
| LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes | LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes |
| LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes | LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes |
| LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes | LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes |
| LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes | LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes |
| LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) to Mountain View, California (USA) - 4,200km | LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) to Mountain View, California (USA) - 4,200km |