Solar impulse

Solar Aviation

  • First Sustained Flight with a Powered, Controlled Airplane

    First Sustained Flight with a Powered, Controlled Airplane
    First Sustained Flight with a Powered, Controlled Airplane In 1903 Wilbur and Orville Wright created the Flyer, the first sustained fligt with a powered, controlled airplane.
  • First Airplane Flight

    First Airplane Flight
    First FlightOrville and Wilbur Wirght succuessfully flew the first airplane in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
  • Jet Engines Designed

    Jet Engines Designed
    Jet Engines DesignedIn 1937 Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain independently created and tested the first jet engine.
  • First Solar Cell Created

    First Solar Cell Created
    First Solar Cell CreatedCreated in the U,S, when Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson created a cell called the silicon photovoltaic cell. This works because of how combining copper and cuprous oxide could create electricity from solar energy due to it's photosensitive ability.
  • Space Satellites Begin to be Powered by Solar Cells

    Space Satellites Begin to be Powered by Solar Cells
    Space Satellites Begin to be Powered by Solar Cells The Vanguard I space satellite, Explorer III, and Vanguard II have solar panels to power the satellites.
  • First Efficient Solar Cell

    First Efficient Solar Cell
    First Efficient Solar CellSolar cells also called silicon photovoltaic cells are being to be created that can efficiently create eletricity using the Sun's power.
  • Solar Panels Redesigned to Reduce Cost

    Solar Panels Redesigned to Reduce Cost
    Solar Panels Redesigned to Reduce Cost Solar panels are redesigned in order to reduce the cost from $100 per watt to $20 per watt.
  • First Solar Powered Aircraft

    First Solar Powered Aircraft
    First Solar Powered AircraftPaul MacCready builds the first solar powered aircraft. It had over 16,000 solar cells that created over 3000 watts of power.
  • Thin Film Solar Panels are Improved

    Thin Film Solar Panels are Improved
    Thin Film Solar Panels are Improved Solar panel film has been modified to be 15% effective, making solar panel technology that is lighter and still very effective.
  • Creation of NASA's Solar Aircraft

    Creation of NASA's Solar Aircraft
    Creation of NASA's Solar AircraftNASA worked on their own solar powered aircraft which was called Helios. Helios set a new world record for being a non-rocket aircraft that went 18 miles high.