1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tech Stuff from Hey 2 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: There we one, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm Jonathan 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: Strickland and our co host Lauren is out today, but 4 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: another co host of mine on the show Coward Thinking, 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: Joe McCormick, has kindly agreed to step in. Um, he 6 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: doesn't know what he's in for. Hi, everybody, Yeah, I 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: was just sitting at my little I was going to 8 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: say cubicle, but it's a cubicle with only one side. 9 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:37,480 Speaker 1: It's a it's a one iCal. We all have the 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: same and uh and this this strange bald person sneaks 11 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: up to me and says, well, you jump on a podcast. 12 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: They don't know, They don't get much stranger. Yes, I jumped, 13 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: I jumped on. We have not outlined this at all. 14 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: This is an impromptu podcast that Joe has kindly agreed 15 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: to participate in, but we wanted to have a chance 16 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: to chat about something that I talked about in a 17 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: recent episode of Forward Thinking. So if you guys haven't 18 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,119 Speaker 1: checked out Forward Thinking, please do. I think I think 19 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: a lot of tech stuff fans would really enjoy that series. 20 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: Joe is the head writer on Forward Thinking and has 21 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: done amazing work I have not written this episode. However, 22 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: this episode was I thought really cool, and it's about 23 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: a solar powered aircraft. Yeah, which when you think about it, 24 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: that on its face sounds pretty crazy, especially if you 25 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: have taken time to really look into solar power and 26 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: not just its advantages but it's limitations, right right, Well, 27 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: this is obviously not the only solar powered aircraft that's 28 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: ever been created, right, it's it's probably the coolest one 29 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,199 Speaker 1: ever created yet. And it is amazing that you can 30 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: take a huge, heavy thing off the ground with the 31 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: power of solar energy alone. That's just I mean, this 32 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: is what powers your calculator, right, not not an airplane. Yeah. Like, 33 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: for example, I have a a battery pack in my 34 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: in my backpack solar panel that it faces outward, and 35 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: in theory, you can use solar energy to recharge the 36 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: battery pack, which then you can use to recharge something 37 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: like a smartphone. Right, that's the basic premise of this backpack. 38 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: Here's the thing. If I want to recharge that battery 39 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: using solar power, I have to have it in the 40 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: sun for twelve consecutive hours. One doesn't have to be consecutive, 41 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: but twelve hours to get a full charge, whereas if 42 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: I were to plug it into the wall, it's an 43 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: hour and a half maybe two hours total to charge 44 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: it all the way up, maybe even less than that. 45 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: So it just shows that that solar power, you know, 46 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: getting a lot of energy from it is a challenge. Now, 47 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: obviously the solar panel that's in my backpack is not 48 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 1: what you would consider bleeding edge. No, it's probably not 49 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: the best that our current science has to offer. It's 50 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: probably not even on the top near the top line 51 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: for consumer tech right now, because what's available on the 52 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: consumer side is a big drop down from the cutting 53 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: edge best of the best. So if you are getting 54 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 1: a solar panel that has been designed to be as 55 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: efficient as possible, we're talking top of the line. This 56 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: is the stuff that NASA is going to use, right, 57 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: you're gonna top out somewhere around forty to efficiency. And 58 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: what you're talking about there is how much of the 59 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 1: energy from the sun you're converting, right, So you're you're 60 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 1: not even starting necessarily with a very high number. It's 61 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: just how much of that solar energy is arriving at 62 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: the panels, which is obviously going to be less than 63 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: say the energy density of gasoline or something like that. 64 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: Far less, far less. Yeah, so you're getting you're getting 65 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: this h You're you're losing six the energy that hits 66 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: the panel raf the bat then that ends up being 67 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: converted into electricity. And it's not that much per solar panel, 68 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: Like an individual solar panel doesn't put out that much electricity. 69 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: Even if it's really efficient, it's not putting out that much. 70 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: That's why whenever you talk about really using solar panels effectively, 71 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: you're talking about lots and lots of lots of solar panels, right, 72 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: they have individual solar cells in them, and there might 73 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: be thousands of the solar cells in one solar panel farm. Yeah, 74 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: and if you're designing an airplane that's powered by solar panels, 75 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: one of the big questions I would wonder is where 76 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: are you going to put them? I Mean, when I 77 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: heard about this thing before I saw an image of it, 78 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,799 Speaker 1: what I pictured in my mind was like a football 79 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: field sized flat surface with just the tiny little, you know, 80 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: person strapped to the bottom of it. And that's not 81 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: that far off in a way that probably wouldn't fly, 82 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: but yeah, definitely sign it like a plane. Yeah, you've 83 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: gotta have a lot, a lot of surface area, right, 84 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: You have to have a lot of surface area for 85 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: multiple reasons. So the big reasons why you need a 86 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: lot of surface area, which in planes means a wide wingspan, 87 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 1: because obviously if you made the fuselage or the body 88 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: of the plane the biggest part, then you have to 89 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: figure out how do you get something that bulky and 90 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: heavy into the air and have it have the vehicle 91 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: maintain enough thrust to keep it in the air, because 92 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 1: I mean thrust is a really important part of this too. 93 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: We we just established that solar panels aren't generating that 94 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: much electricity, so they can't uh push a super powerful 95 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: electric motor. And the electric motor is what's going to 96 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: be turning the propellers that are going to provide the 97 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,359 Speaker 1: thrust necessary to get this plane in the air. So 98 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 1: you have to keep weight in mind, you can't make 99 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: it too heavy, and you still need all that surface area. 100 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: So what do you do? Well, what the folks over 101 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: at solar Impulse, Oh, yeah, we should have said that's 102 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: the one we're talking about, the solar impulse. Solar impulse 103 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: too is specifically what we're talking about that there already 104 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: has been a Solar Impulse one, which was kind of 105 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: a proof of concept vehicle that they built in order 106 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: to test out the different engineering approaches they were going 107 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,359 Speaker 1: to take, because their goal is to have this circle, 108 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: this this solar Impulse to go all the way around 109 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: the Earth. I believe the demo of the Solar Impulse 110 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: one was a transcontinental flight. Yeah, it was from the 111 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: West coast to the United States to the East coast, 112 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: and they had several legs of the journey. They even had, 113 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: uh set a record for the longest number the most 114 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: number of flight hours consecutively for a manned solar powered aircraft. 115 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,600 Speaker 1: So if you're talking about unmanned aircraft, you end up 116 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: having really long times because you don't have a human 117 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 1: that you have don Yeah, you don't need to worry 118 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: about a person saying goodbye to their family for two 119 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: weeks or whatever. Uh So for the manned record, we're 120 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: talking uh twenty six hours, ten minutes and nineteen seconds, 121 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: so more than a full day. And if you're thinking 122 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: solar power and you're thinking, how the heck were they 123 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 1: able to fly when there was no son, we'll get 124 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 1: to that, uh but yeah, So, so the records already 125 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: been set. These were all proof of concepts that they 126 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: were saying, well, we need to figure out what things 127 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: are required for this dream of flying a solar powered 128 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: aircraft all the way around the world. What's required for 129 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: that to actually become a reality. So this wing span 130 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: was the first thing, and the Solar Impulse two S wingspan. 131 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: It's pretty impressive. We're talking about seventy two meters, so 132 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: that's that's more than two and forty ft. We're talking 133 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: about the uh, the width that's greater than say a 134 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:23,679 Speaker 1: Bowing seven. Okay, but unlike a Bowing See, it doesn't 135 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: have a huge fuselage full of passengers and cargo. This 136 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: has a tiny, tiny, little compartment. Yeah, it's essentially a 137 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: little The body of the plane is very small. It 138 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: will allow the two the pilot and copilot to sit 139 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: side by side, just as in a traditional aircraft. It's 140 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: not you know, front and back like the old World 141 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: War One and World War Two aircraft work all turret. Yeah, no, 142 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna have to worry about that. Um. But yeah, 143 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: it's it's relatively small, and it's made out of carbon fiber. 144 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: So carbon fiber has a couple of advantages, right, It's 145 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: pretty strong, and it's really light compared to other materials. 146 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: So you want to use something that's going to be 147 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: resilient so I can withstand the rigors of air travel, 148 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: and yeah, it can't be too heavy, So carbon fibers 149 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: what they went with, and in fact, the entire plane 150 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:22,239 Speaker 1: ends up being something like I think it's twenty six hundred, no, sorry, 151 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: twenty that's around five thousand seventy pounds. That means that 152 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: there are cars on the market that are heavier than 153 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: this airplane. Is this airplane that has a wingspan wider 154 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:38,079 Speaker 1: than a Bowing seven. That's pretty crazy, It's pretty crazy, 155 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: you know. I would imagine one reason that they can 156 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: use those kind of fibers is because this airplane goes 157 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:48,680 Speaker 1: a lot slower than your standard passenger airplane, which obviously 158 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: the faster you go, the more turbulence and friction you're 159 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: gonna have to withstand, right, And uh yeah, So so 160 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: with a Boeing example, for example, like your average commuter 161 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: airline type of thing, you're talking about speeds in the 162 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: five mile per hour range. With solar impulse too, you're 163 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: not gonna go quite that fast. The top speed is 164 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: something like eight miles per hour eighty eight miles per hour. Fortunately, 165 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,479 Speaker 1: it does not require one point twenty one jigga watts 166 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: for it to fly, or else it would go back. 167 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: How many gigawatts does it require? Not many at all, really, 168 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 1: because again, all right, do you know how many solar 169 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 1: panels are actually on this seventeen thousand across that seven 170 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: guess I don't know what that means because I don't 171 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: know how big they are. They're not. It's not that 172 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,680 Speaker 1: they're that big. Well, I mean, think of a seventy 173 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: two wide wingspan. Um, you know, you're that's pretty huge. 174 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,319 Speaker 1: It's not that the panels themselves or the solar cells. 175 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: I guess I should say it's not that the solar 176 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: cells are that big, because really, solar cells is more 177 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: accurate than panels. Panels are like a collection of cells. 178 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: But they're not that big. But the fact that there 179 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: are seventeen thousand of them is pretty impressive. And they're 180 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: only driving four electric motors. And like I said, those 181 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: electric motors turn electric propellers. The propellers are shaped in 182 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: such a way to help provide the thrust needed so 183 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: that you maintain the speed to uh to stay in 184 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: the air. Those wide wings also are able to provide 185 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: a lot of lift and stability and flight, although it 186 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 1: is kind of tricky. You can't take off in windy 187 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: conditions with this thing. You would imagine not because with 188 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: such a wide wingspan, a little bit of wind could 189 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: easily get it to start tilting any which way. Yeah. 190 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 1: Yet another thing I'd also imagine is that the wider 191 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: wing span allows it to stay aloft at lower speeds. Yeah. Yeah, 192 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,439 Speaker 1: that's another thing. And it's also not going to go 193 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: to the same sort of altitude that you would see 194 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: with like a commuter jet or something that's not gonna 195 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 1: go up to thirty feet. Um. So, yeah, we've got this. 196 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:54,800 Speaker 1: We've got this incredible aircraft that's light, it's a it's 197 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:59,319 Speaker 1: able to get through the air without falling apart. Despite 198 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:01,959 Speaker 1: the fact that so light, it's able to drive these 199 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: electric motors. So how can it fly at night? Well 200 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: that's an excellent question that will answer in just a moment, 201 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: But let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor. Okay, 202 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: so we're doing around the world flight. It's at eighty 203 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: eight miles per hour. That means at top speed eight 204 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: eight miles per that's not average speed. That's top speed. 205 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: That would mean there's going to be some stretches of 206 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:26,080 Speaker 1: this flight where the airplane is gonna have to stay 207 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: in the air a really long time because there's no 208 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: convenient way to land it at night. When you're over 209 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,719 Speaker 1: say the Ocean, right, they're gonna be times where the 210 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,199 Speaker 1: you know, those oceans are so wide, there's no way 211 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:40,839 Speaker 1: the plane can make a trip across say the Atlantic, 212 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: in a single day. Not at eighty eight miles per hour. 213 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 1: It's gonna take multiple days and nights of flying for 214 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: it to get from one point to another where it 215 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,320 Speaker 1: can safely land. Because they do plan on taking this 216 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:53,559 Speaker 1: trip through several legs where the plane will be able 217 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: to land. Maintenance screws can come out and and do 218 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: some repairs if necessary, that kind of thing. It's not 219 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: like it's going to do a a full flight around 220 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: the Earth without ever touching down. They will be touching 221 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 1: down along the way and then taking back off and 222 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 1: another leg of the journey. But still, when you're over 223 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: the ocean, you don't have that luxury, so you've got 224 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:13,959 Speaker 1: to be able to fly at night. So that's when 225 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: they switched to monkey on a stationary bicycle. Power. You know, 226 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: I recommended that. I thought it's time has come. I mean, 227 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: it's an unproven technology, I'll grant you, but I really 228 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: think we have not tapped the potential of monkey bicycles. No. 229 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: I think this is they've got to be using some 230 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: some pretty good batteries and that has to be a 231 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: very important part of the design, right, because batteries are heavy. 232 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: This airplane needs to be light. Yeah, they used, uh, 233 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 1: they created lithium batteries. They actually had the engineers had 234 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: to look at a way to make the batteries incredibly efficient, 235 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:54,440 Speaker 1: and uh, they had to be able to charge quickly 236 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 1: because if you aren't getting a full charge throughout the day, 237 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 1: then while you're also dry having those propellers, then that 238 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,839 Speaker 1: could become a problem at night, right, if you want 239 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,559 Speaker 1: to remain aloft, that could be a serious problem. So 240 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:11,200 Speaker 1: they experiment with different electrolytes um, which, of course, as 241 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: we know from Idiocracy, is the stuff that plants crave. 242 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,520 Speaker 1: But no, they experiment with a lot of different chemical 243 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:20,199 Speaker 1: compositions to try and make the most efficient batteries. So 244 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: they went with lithium batteries. They are kind of think 245 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: of it like a long, thin almost like a film 246 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: as opposed to a big battery pack. So it it's 247 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: pretty remarkable the design, and they weigh the batteries weigh 248 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: six D thirty three k or about two thousand seventy 249 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 1: seven pounds, which means that you know, the they weigh 250 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: up little bit more than a quarter of the actual 251 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 1: plane itself the batteries alone. So obviously batteries are heavy. 252 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: They're important because you have to have that energy to 253 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 1: tap into at night, Otherwise, once the sun starts to 254 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 1: go down or it gets too cloudy, your plane would plummet. 255 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: And this isn't just a problem for planes, I mean, 256 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 1: it's especially a problem in planes, right, This is a 257 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: problem for any electric vehicle, right, is is how to 258 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: deal with this massive battery that's required to operate motors 259 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: with this kind of power exactly. And it's something that 260 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: we've seen not even not just in an electric vehicles, 261 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: but electronics in general. It's one of those constant questions 262 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: that pop up about how you know, the processing power 263 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: has increased steadily over the years. We've got the whole 264 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: observation of Moore's law where we're seeing it practically double 265 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: every two years or so, depending upon your interpretation of 266 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: the observation. Uh, well, then why haven't batteries kept pace 267 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:45,640 Speaker 1: with that? You know, we're I'm seeing my my mobile 268 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:48,120 Speaker 1: devices getting more powerful, but the battery is draining faster, 269 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: so it's not as useful to me as long. And 270 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 1: part of that is just because batteries aren't on that 271 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: accelerated path. I mean, there's only so much we can 272 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: do with chemistry. To be fair, they have come a 273 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: long way. This is also a topic we talked about 274 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: not too long to go on forward thinking is how 275 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 1: far batteries have come. And it is kind of amazing 276 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 1: what we've achieved today. I mean, your standard lithium ion 277 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: battery today is kind of a wonder work. It really is. Yeah. 278 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 1: The fact that you're able to recharge it so that 279 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: the chemical, the electrochemical reaction that's going on within the 280 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: battery gives off electrons. I mean that's the whole point 281 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: of a battery, Otherwise it would be useless. Uh. And 282 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 1: in a in an alkaline battery, this is an irreversible 283 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: uh reaction, So the electrochemical reaction happens, electrons are given off. 284 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: As a result, you can use those electrons to do work. Thus, electricity. 285 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 1: But once it's drained, once that chemical reaction has gone 286 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 1: to a certain point, you're not generating enough electrons for 287 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: it to be useful anymore. You have a dead battery. 288 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: Whereas with these lithium rechargeable batteries. There are non rechargeable 289 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: types too, but with rechargeable batteries you can reverse that 290 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: reaction by essentially forcing electrons back backward through that pathway. 291 00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: It's basically doing the whole thing backward. You're putting war 292 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 1: work into the battery the same way you took work 293 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: out of it earlier. Yeah, So the fact that we've 294 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 1: managed to do that and increase the efficiency even a 295 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: little bit is the reason why something like the solar 296 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 1: impulse too is is possible. And again we're not going 297 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: to see this actually fly around the world until two 298 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: thousand fifteen, but they've already proven that it works with 299 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: that first proof of concept vehicle that was able to 300 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 1: stay up in the air for twenty six hours. The 301 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 1: fact that it was able to charge the batteries, fly 302 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: all the way through the night and continue, um, you 303 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: know they're fully certified to fly at night. It shows 304 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: that there's been a lot of work done here. So 305 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: we've got, uh, the energy side covered the fact that 306 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: it's going to be using solar power to drive the 307 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 1: electric motors and day switched to battery at night. It's 308 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: going to be able to to fly really for as 309 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: long as the pilot and co pid can stand. That 310 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: was my question. Yeah, what's this going to be like 311 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: for the pilot incopilot? Um? Okay, have you ever, Joe, 312 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,639 Speaker 1: have you ever traveled first class? Oh? No, okay, so 313 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,160 Speaker 1: I've traveled first class. Uh, not to brag, but it's 314 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: pret sweet. And once you traveled first class, how is 315 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: the champagne and cheese selection. We didn't have champagne. We 316 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 1: had real pain, thank you, none of this champagne you 317 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 1: guys talked about. Um No, But but I mean it's 318 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 1: anyone who's traveled first or business class and then goes 319 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: back to travel coach. The belly aching is unbearable, right, 320 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: it's just this idea. Oh no, yeah, you can't go back, 321 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 1: by the way. I haven't traveled first or business in years, 322 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 1: and and frankly, I'm still amazed that planes work, so 323 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,479 Speaker 1: I'm happy either way. But but there was a period 324 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 1: shortly after that time where I was able to travel 325 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: first or business, where I was one of those unbearable 326 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: people for that particular reason. I'm unbearable for many other 327 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,920 Speaker 1: reasons now, but for that particular reason where I can't 328 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: believe this little wonderful complaining. I know. Flying coach, though, 329 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 1: would seem like an amazing luxury compared to what the 330 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 1: pilot and co pilot are going to have to be 331 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:09,920 Speaker 1: able to endure to make this round the world flight 332 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 1: a possibility, because one of the things they're gonna have to, 333 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 1: like I said, to stay in the air for some 334 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: of the estimates are as long as five days and nights, 335 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: or perhaps even longer for just one leg of this journey. 336 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:25,919 Speaker 1: So for five days and nights, you are in a 337 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: chair in a plane and you cannot go anywhere because 338 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:34,639 Speaker 1: there's no space. Every single ounce matters on that plane, 339 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 1: every single inch counts, so there's no space in the 340 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,960 Speaker 1: back for one person to go and and collapse while 341 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: the other one flies the plane. Instead, their chairs are 342 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 1: going to be designed in such a way where they 343 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 1: can lay back into a cot form and you can 344 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: the plane is going to have an autopilot, so they 345 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 1: can sit there there heading and course and both catch 346 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,040 Speaker 1: them Z S while they need to, and then a 347 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: cup and everything should be fine. Um, somehow I don't 348 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: suspect that will happen. Well, sounds freaky. I think it's 349 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:09,880 Speaker 1: probably more likely that they're going to do their best 350 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: to take shifts. But the nice thing is that they 351 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:14,439 Speaker 1: can sit on autopilot and catch some rest if they 352 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 1: need to. But alright, so we've got we've got laying 353 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: down to rest, and we've got sitting up to operate. 354 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: But there's still one important human activity besides the whole 355 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,639 Speaker 1: eating and drinking thing. They'll obviously have some food and 356 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: water up there on the plane as well. There's one 357 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 1: other important activity that we can't avoid. Yeah, I was 358 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: about to ask have the engineers factored into the plane's 359 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: course the fact that it might be losing a bit 360 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: of mass as it travels. So what we're alluding to 361 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: is where do you poop? I mean, you know, it's 362 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: one of the most popular questions on how stuff works, 363 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 1: as main site is all about space toilets um. In 364 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: this case, those fancy chairs I was talking about they 365 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: double up as as both chairs cots. Well really they 366 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:05,879 Speaker 1: do triple duty because they're also lavatories. I had to 367 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: do it Joe. Joe is rolling his eyes. So everybody, 368 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: we've already achieved some horrible pun hat trick. Everybody who 369 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: misses Lauren's eye rolling, just know that her spirit is 370 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: living in Joe right now, even though Lauren herself is 371 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: not in thet Yeah so um, but no, it's it's true. 372 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:26,199 Speaker 1: The the actual chairs are going to do this this 373 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,920 Speaker 1: triple job of being the place where you sit, the 374 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: place where you sleep, in the place where you have 375 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: to go to the bathroom because they couldn't incorporate a 376 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: separate lavatory because again, every single bit of weight counts. 377 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,360 Speaker 1: It seems like there would be ventilation shoes. Yeah, I haven't. 378 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 1: I haven't actually seen any illustrations or animations of how 379 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: this actually works, Like, does does the does a little 380 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 1: bit of the bottom of the chair just open up 381 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: to the to the I mean, who knows. I honestly 382 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:57,680 Speaker 1: do not know the answer to that, because I haven't 383 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 1: seen the illustrations I've seen. I've seen footage of them 384 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: testing out the chairs laying it back into cot form, 385 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,680 Speaker 1: but not the pooping. Well, here's a question I don't 386 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: know if you know the answer to is the cabin pressurized? 387 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: Are they flying at such an altitude that they don't 388 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: have to pressurize the cabin. Now, the the pictures I've seen, 389 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:21,959 Speaker 1: i've seen them wearing essentially air masks as well, So 390 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: I would imagine that the cabin is not pressurized. But 391 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,439 Speaker 1: I also imagine they're not typically flying in an altitude 392 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,880 Speaker 1: where that's too much of a problem. They did, as 393 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,399 Speaker 1: I saw, have have masks there because I saw a 394 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 1: guy who essentially he pulls the mask aside in order 395 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: to eat a little snack cake, drink a little water, 396 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: put the mask back on, go on his merry way. Um. 397 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 1: But whether or not the whole thing is pressurized, I 398 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,439 Speaker 1: don't think it is, because again, that would require a 399 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 1: lot of weight to be able to put in the 400 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: systems necessary. You have to seal everything off, obviously, because 401 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 1: if if you don't seal everything off, you can't maintain 402 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 1: a pressure, and you know, I would just be escaping 403 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: the whole time. Plus then you would have to have 404 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: the mechanisms necessary to pressurize the cabin, and all of 405 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,720 Speaker 1: that adds weight. So really, when it comes to solar 406 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:11,400 Speaker 1: aircraft in general, not just the solar Impulse, but any 407 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: solar aircraft, anything that's not absolutely necessary to maintain flight 408 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: tends to be left behind, so you don't have a 409 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,000 Speaker 1: lot of the systems and a lot of the other niceties. 410 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: In fact, a lot of solar aircraft don't even have 411 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:28,240 Speaker 1: landing gear. They have they have wheels that allow them 412 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: to roll around when they're before they take off. Then 413 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 1: once they take off, they jettison the wheels because that's weight, 414 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:39,920 Speaker 1: like the fuel containers on the Space Shuttle. Yeah, so 415 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:41,919 Speaker 1: it means that when you're landing, you're not so much 416 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:44,959 Speaker 1: landing as you are having as controlled to crash as 417 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 1: you possibly can, which I'm sure is nerve racking, but 418 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: that's part of the design. So the plane is designed 419 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: to have that kind of landing. It's not, you know, 420 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,360 Speaker 1: an emergency type thing. This is this is standard operating 421 00:22:56,359 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: procedure onboard solar aircraft. And uh yeah, so, I mean 422 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: it's kind of I'm curious to see really how this 423 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: continues to develop, what the experience ends up really being 424 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 1: like for the pilot and co pilot, what it you know, 425 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: whether or not they're able to make this. By the way, 426 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 1: I didn't mention this their plan for the entire journey. 427 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: You know, we're talking about the eighty eight miles per 428 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: hour top speed. It's going to take them five months 429 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,560 Speaker 1: to go all the way around the world, and that's 430 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: in various legs of the journey, so it's going to 431 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,720 Speaker 1: be lots of stopping and starting, but five months total. 432 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: So it's, uh, you know, it's it's it's not something 433 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 1: that's going to take place super fast, obviously, but I'm 434 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 1: really curious to see if they're able to make it 435 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: all the way around the world. And one of the 436 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: things I love about this is that it's and it's 437 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:54,639 Speaker 1: really a pure engineering challenge, right. The whole thing was 438 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: this idea of let's build a heavier than air aircraft 439 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 1: only by solar energy. Um, the batteries are charged by 440 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:06,640 Speaker 1: solar energy, so that's how you can say that it's 441 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: only powered by solar energy and be able to fly 442 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 1: it all the way around the world. All right, that's 443 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: our goal. How do we achieve that? And honestly, when 444 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,640 Speaker 1: they first started thinking about this, they started talking about 445 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: it back in when they first started thinking about it, 446 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,159 Speaker 1: it was not something that could have been achieved just 447 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,159 Speaker 1: based upon the technology they had at their disposal. The 448 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:29,679 Speaker 1: team had to innovate and and invent things and tweak 449 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 1: stuff in order for this to happen. And that's what 450 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: I find so exciting, because it's one of those projects 451 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: where even if you think it's a ridiculous endeavor to 452 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: fly around the world and a solar powered aircraft, the 453 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: truth is the work that they're doing can inform other 454 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: industries and other technologies that end up benefiting us in 455 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: the long run. Yeah. Well, before I read about this 456 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:54,920 Speaker 1: particular story, I would have thought a solar powered aircraft 457 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: was just impossible, that there's no way you can generate 458 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: enough power to create the thrust you need to stay 459 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: aloft and heavier than air aircraft obviously if you have 460 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:08,159 Speaker 1: a balloon or something. But right, right, yeah, and so 461 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: it just blows my mind that they can do this 462 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: at all. Not to mention the the extent to which 463 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: they're taking this technology, we should talk about how this 464 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:22,959 Speaker 1: is almost certainly not going to be the passenger plane 465 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 1: of the future because all of the First of all, 466 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 1: I think all the reasons that we gave of what 467 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: they had to do in order to make this possible. 468 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:35,959 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure that your average frequent flyer doesn't want 469 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: to poop in their chair, right, that would be a 470 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: big one. Well, and you can't get enough people on it, 471 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:45,119 Speaker 1: it doesn't go fast enough, you can't pressurize it, or 472 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:47,240 Speaker 1: at least that's what I assume. I could be wrong 473 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 1: about that. I didn't see anything about pressurization on about 474 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 1: the solar impulse. If I'm wrong about that, that's fascinating. 475 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:55,959 Speaker 1: I would want to read more about that. How they 476 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,479 Speaker 1: achieve that using this lightweight approach. But well, even if 477 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:03,439 Speaker 1: you table that one, I mean, all the other concerns 478 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: make this This is not going to replace the passenger jet, No, no, 479 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: they What it could do is you could take a 480 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 1: look at all the different considerations the team made in 481 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,840 Speaker 1: order to make the aircraft as efficient as it possibly can, 482 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 1: and some of those lessons you might be able to 483 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: apply to aircraft designs in the future. Yeah, And I 484 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 1: would think one thing to focus on, or at least 485 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 1: for us to remember, is that the advances that come 486 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,440 Speaker 1: with this kind of aircraft that are really important to 487 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 1: future aircraft that people might fly in or not necessarily 488 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: like the solar panels or the solar implementation. It might 489 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:40,200 Speaker 1: be the ways the aircraft like this use clever tricks 490 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:45,959 Speaker 1: to become lighter and still stay have enough stability in 491 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: the in the fuselage not to come apart, right right, yeah, 492 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:50,399 Speaker 1: because one of the things, you know, one of the 493 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:53,399 Speaker 1: big reasons why this is so important is that we 494 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 1: didn't really address this, but air travel generates a lot 495 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,639 Speaker 1: of pollution. Right Yeah. Your standard your standard jet, like 496 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 1: your stay entered commercial jet, can create as much as 497 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:08,359 Speaker 1: point four two point six five pounds of greenhouse gas 498 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: per mile travel. It all depends on the destination and paradoxically, 499 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: perhaps uh, the further you go, the less you're generating 500 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,240 Speaker 1: per mile. But the reason for that is because takeoff 501 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: and landing are where you generate the most greenhouse gases 502 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 1: because they require the most power. Yeah, there are people 503 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,480 Speaker 1: who talk about buying carbon offset credits when you take 504 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: an air travel journey. That's not a bad idea, even 505 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,720 Speaker 1: though through through air travel it's not necessarily just carbon emissions. 506 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 1: Is other greenhouse gas more prevalent in jet fuel exhaust. 507 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: But I mean it's it's a huge amount, like you're talking, 508 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 1: you know, point forward two point six five pounds of 509 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:50,840 Speaker 1: greenhouse gases. I mean, I don't know if you've weighed 510 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 1: a gas recently, but it takes a lot for it 511 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 1: to make a pound, So you're talking about a truly 512 00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: massive amount of greenhouse gasses every time an aircraft is flying. 513 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 1: Uh And again, depending on the type of aircraft and 514 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 1: how far it's going, that's what tells you how much 515 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: average you are generating. So if we're able to take 516 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: lessons from things like the solar impulse to aircraft and 517 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:18,080 Speaker 1: incorporate them into future aircraft design so that aircraft are 518 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 1: more efficient and using less fuel than we are, having 519 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:25,040 Speaker 1: a smaller negative impact on the environment overall. Yeah, and 520 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,879 Speaker 1: while as we said, there's probably not going to be 521 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 1: a solely solar powered aircraft, there may be hybrid aircraft 522 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 1: in the future for standard commuters. And you know, you 523 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,560 Speaker 1: can see the possibility of using solar power for things 524 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 1: other than the thrust, right, You can use solar panels 525 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,720 Speaker 1: to do things like help power some of the various 526 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: systems aboard the aircraft, depending upon what kind of aircraft 527 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,680 Speaker 1: it is. I mean, you probably don't want all the 528 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 1: avionics powered by solar power, but things like cabin lighting, 529 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,600 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff could certainly be all ammenuted through 530 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 1: solar power either probably in a more uh analogous way 531 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,760 Speaker 1: to the way the solar impulse has batteries, you would 532 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: probably use the solar power to charge batteries and then 533 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: the systems would draw electricity from the batteries, not have 534 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 1: a direct line solar panel to system because that wouldn't 535 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: be as useful in in you know, all the different 536 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: situations that aircraft go in the other thing about to 537 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,520 Speaker 1: keep in mind is the aircraft tend to fly higher 538 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 1: than your your regular cloud level commercial aircraft do, so 539 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: they actually have better access to sunlight than say something 540 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: that can't go that high. Um. Yeah, and also we're 541 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:40,520 Speaker 1: seeing this technology being incorporated into unmanned aerial vehicles. Uh, 542 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 1: there's already proposals for u a v s that could 543 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: use solar panels and never have to land. They could 544 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: just stay in the air prepelled, you know, until they 545 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 1: needed some form of maintenance. So until something breaks, they're fine, 546 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: in which case they'd probably just crash. Yeah. If there's 547 00:29:57,080 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: enough of a warning where you know something's going to 548 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,240 Speaker 1: end up, or you just have you know, a set 549 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 1: schedule for when things need to have regular maintenance, then 550 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: you might be fine. But if you get a note saying, oh, 551 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: propeller failed, and probably like, well, I lost that one. 552 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: But it's interesting because it could be used for all 553 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 1: sorts of stuff, not just I mean a lot of 554 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: people sit there and think of surveillance, but that's not 555 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: the only use. You can use it for things like 556 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: sending it into a dangerous area that's been hit by 557 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: a disaster or other sort of calamity and get a 558 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 1: really good idea of what's going on before you send 559 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 1: any kind of first responders in, or in a example 560 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:39,000 Speaker 1: like the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster, you want to be 561 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,880 Speaker 1: able to send in you know, robots and that kind 562 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 1: of stuff without having to put people in harm's way, 563 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:48,760 Speaker 1: because that's that's potentially a really dangerous situation. And having 564 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 1: something that can maintain its position for a longer amount 565 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 1: of time is more useful than something that just gets 566 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: a snapshot and then that's all. You know, the battery 567 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,239 Speaker 1: life is only twenty minutes or forty minute and then 568 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: you have to fly it back. Uh, that's not as useful. 569 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 1: Having something that can maintain its presence and keep an 570 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: eye on developing situations is incredibly useful. So I think 571 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: we're going to see that kind of technology more widely 572 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:17,400 Speaker 1: deployed over time as well. So I'm really really excited 573 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 1: by this project. I mean, I love any kind of 574 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 1: engineering challenge where it makes people think creatively about how 575 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 1: to solve these problems. So maybe in the future will 576 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 1: do an episode about some of the amazing DARPA challenges 577 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: to like some of the ones that have incredibly difficult 578 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: tasks that engineering teams have to figure out how do 579 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 1: they achieve these these goals. I like the problems that 580 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 1: are specifically like this, where you're trying to squeeze every 581 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 1: last drop of efficiency out of a mechanical system. Like 582 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 1: the same way. I might not admire the way they 583 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:53,240 Speaker 1: drive in terms of safety reasons, but I like reading 584 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: about the hyper milers, the people who try to get 585 00:31:56,040 --> 00:32:00,240 Speaker 1: every possible efficiency advantage they can out of their car. Well, 586 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: Joe in an in an offline conversation that we had 587 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: earlier this week, we've already determined that Mrs Todd shortcut 588 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:11,800 Speaker 1: isn't interesting. King short story about, you know, finding that 589 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 1: most efficient, most efficient route, even if it costs you 590 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: your sanity. Um, yeah, but no, I agree. I mean, 591 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: it's one of those things where you always think, like 592 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: there are those moments where you think, all right, we've 593 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:28,959 Speaker 1: hit it. We've hit the pinnacle. There is no squeezing 594 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: a single ounce of efficiency more out of this. Somebody 595 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,280 Speaker 1: smart can probably figure something out. Yeah, which is that's 596 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:39,840 Speaker 1: always fantastic. I mean, because again, we all stand to benefit. 597 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 1: It might not be immediate, it might not be that 598 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 1: the next day you wake up and suddenly the world 599 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 1: is a magical place, but it could mean that another 600 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:50,560 Speaker 1: five or ten years down the road, technology that we 601 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:54,600 Speaker 1: had not thought was possible is a mundane reality because 602 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: of the things we learned from these engineering challenges. It's 603 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: pretty cool. So yeah, I think, Uh, first I want 604 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:03,840 Speaker 1: to say thank you Joe for coming on the podcast, 605 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,479 Speaker 1: thank you for having me. I'm really visiting Tech Stuff. 606 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: Hell well, you know, the hunters are all ours and 607 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 1: now that we're done patting ourselves in the back, but 608 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: uh yeah, no, it's great to be able to pop 609 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 1: in here. Lauren will be back for our next episode, 610 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:20,400 Speaker 1: so no fear and uh yeah, guys, if you have 611 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:23,480 Speaker 1: suggestions for future episodes of Tech Stuff, maybe you want 612 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:27,200 Speaker 1: to hear specifically about those DARPA challenges and you just 613 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:31,200 Speaker 1: think I want to know more about the crazy, crazy 614 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:34,479 Speaker 1: things we have taken on ourselves. As saying you know, 615 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:37,240 Speaker 1: this is something that's impossible. How do I change that 616 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 1: and make it possible? Let us know because there are 617 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 1: a lot of great stories and technology that relate to 618 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: that kind of thing. Also, don't worry, we are going 619 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 1: to be recording the episode about how to surf the 620 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 1: Web like a superspy very soon. We've heard you guys. 621 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: You all want to know a brief conversation with the FBI. 622 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:56,400 Speaker 1: But now you've got to go ahead. Yeah, yeah, the 623 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,239 Speaker 1: men in black have wandered off. They forgot to use 624 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: their little red thing, so we're totally cool. Um, yeah, 625 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 1: we're gonna do it. So stay tuned because that episode 626 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: is coming up soon. And any other suggestions you have, 627 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,120 Speaker 1: make sure you write us. Our address is tech stuff 628 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: at Discovery dot com, or drop us a line on Facebook, 629 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,200 Speaker 1: Twitter or Tumbler or handle at all three is tech 630 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,800 Speaker 1: stuff hs wth and Lauren and I will talk to 631 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: you again. Really sick for more on this and thousands 632 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:39,719 Speaker 1: of other topics. Does it have stuff works dot com