Solar-powered plane completes historic trip around the world

The Solar Impulse 2 plane made history on Tuesday when it landed in Abu Dhabi, the first flight to make it around the world without using any fuel.

The plane first took off from Abu Dhabi in March 2015, and over the past 16 months traveled 25,000 miles, stopping 16 times. The plane is covered with 17,248 solar cells that transfer energy to four electrical motors that power the propellers, and it runs on four lithium polymer batteries at night. "The future is clean," one of the pilots, Bertrand Piccard, said after landing. "The future is you. The future is now. Let's take it further."

The plane completed more than 500 flight hours, but was delayed a few times, including in Cairo when Piccard became sick and after some batteries were damaged on the journey from Japan to Hawaii. Read more about how the pilots were able to handle the cockpit's cramped conditions and temperature shifts at The Associated Press.

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