Solar-Powered Airplane Lands in Spain

太阳能飞机在西班牙着陆

An airplane powered totally by the sun landed in Seville, Spain early Thursday after completing a 71-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

一架完全以太阳能为动力的飞机周四早些时候在西班牙塞维利亚着陆，它刚完成了一次71小时的横穿大西洋飞行。

The plane, a Solar Impulse 2 model, has just one seat. It left from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York Monday morning.

这架阳光动力2号模型飞机只有一个座位。它于周一早晨离开纽约的约翰·F·肯尼迪国际机场。

This was the plane’s 15th stop in its planned around-the-world trip. The trip began in Abu Dhabi in March of 2015.

这一站是它按计划环球飞行的第十五站。此次飞行始于2015年三月的阿布扎比市。

Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard operated the solar-powered plane on this leg of the tour. The Solar Pulse 2 had an average speed of 70 kilometers an hour during his flight.

瑞士飞行员伯特兰·皮卡德驾驶这架太阳能飞机飞完了此次旅程的这一站。在他的此次飞行中，这架太阳动力2号的平均飞行速度为70 km/h。

The plane’s power comes from 17,000 solar cells built into the wings. The cells capture the sun’s energy, which is stored in batteries on the plane.

这架飞机的动力来源于安装在机翼上的17000个太阳能电池。这些电池捕捉太阳能量，将其储存于飞机上的蓄电池中。

The Solar Pulse 2 has a 72-meter wingspan. That is longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 passenger plane. The solar-powered plane weighs about as much as an automobile.

该飞机的翼展为72米，比一家波音747客机的翼展还要长。这架太阳能飞机的重量大约相当于一辆汽车。

Piccard’s friend and business partner Andre Borschberg will operate the plane on the final part of the trip. He plans to fly from Seville to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

皮卡德的朋友及商业伙伴安德烈·博尔施伯格将驾驶这架飞机飞完剩下的旅程。他打算从塞维利亚飞往阿联酋的阿布扎比市。

I’m Anne Ball.

安妮·鲍尔报道。

An airplane powered totally by the sun landed in Seville, Spain early Thursday after completing a 71-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

The plane, a Solar Impulse 2 model, has just one seat. It left from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York Monday morning.

This was the plane’s 15th stop in its planned around-the-world trip. The trip began in Abu Dhabi in March of 2015.

Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard operated the solar-powered plane on this leg of the tour. The Solar Pulse 2 had an average speed of 70 kilometers an hour during his flight.

The plane’s power comes from 17,000 solar cells built into the wings. The cells capture the sun’s energy, which is stored in batteries on the plane.

The Solar Pulse 2 has a 72-meter wingspan. That is longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 passenger plane. The solar-powered plane weighs about as much as an automobile.

Piccard’s friend and business partner Andre Borschberg will operate the plane on the final part of the trip. He plans to fly from Seville to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

I’m Anne Ball.

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Words in This Story

cells – n. containers for holding substances that are used for producing electricity

batteries – n. devices that are placed inside a machine to supply it with electricity

wingspan – n. the distance from the tip of one wing of an airplane to the tip of the other wing

aviator – n. a person who flies airplanes