Solar Impulse – Around the world in a solar airplane

Please note that this is not a Google project. The title misleadingly seems to state that. [1]<p>Google seems to be doing these campaigns more often recently, to promote Google+, Hangouts, YouTube livestreams and other products of theirs. (Also see RSC&#x27;s &quot;A Midsummer Night&#x27;s Dream2 [2] for another project to showcase Google+.)<p>[1] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Solar_Impulse</a><p>[2] <a href="http://dreaming.dream40.org/" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;dreaming.dream40.org&#x2F;</a>

Actually this is not a google project, Google&#x27;s just doing the live coverage for the cross-US flight. I learned about solar impulse in 2009 because my former employer is one the partners.<p>This project was initiated by Bertrand Piccard in 2003. He is better know for the first balloon flight around the world in 1999. cf. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Solar_Impulse</a>

Seems to me to be a partnership for the streaming of the Solar Impulse guys&#x27; flight, not Google (substantially) financing it. Their website doesn&#x27;t seem to mention Google: <a href="http://www.solarimpulse.com" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.solarimpulse.com</a>

There&#x27;s an easter egg video if you hover over the 4-color bar in the bottom right of the page. Direct link:<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ap2yUubnw4c?rel=0&amp;fs=1&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autoplay=1" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;embed&#x2F;Ap2yUubnw4c?rel=0&amp;fs=1&amp;showinfo...</a>

I saw the plane when they came through St Louis last month, and snapped a few pictures. It&#x27;s really impressive how big it was; at 208 feet the wingspan is a few feet shy of a 747-400.<p><a href="http://imgur.com/a/wXLUI" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;imgur.com&#x2F;a&#x2F;wXLUI</a>

Relatively amazing. Relatively because when I read the title I thought it was some kind of solar sailing spaceship. That would have been way too cool, though.<p>By the way, the page ends with &quot;Here&#x27;s to the explorers&quot;. That phrase kind of reminds me of something different.

The title needs changed. As has been mentioned in other comments Google is just streaming the live coverage of this and doesn&#x27;t have much (if anything) to do with the project.

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I didn&#x27;t know about this google project. This seems really awesome.<p>Can someone more knowledgeable please comment on how big is this? Is this something revolutionary, or is there some catch?

Is it just me or Google is &quot;focusing&quot; on software projects but going even wilder on grand sci-fi like projects that seem to demand a lot more budget?