6 hours ago
A solar-powered plane took off from Washington, D.C., on Saturday and headed for New York City on the final leg of its unprecedented trip across the United States.
The airplane, called Solar Impulse, left Washington's Dulles International Airport Saturday shortly before 5 a.m. ET. After roughly 21 hours in the air, the plane is expected to land at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at 2 a.m. ET Sunday.
Solar Impulse is the first plane capable of flying day and night without using any fuel. The aircraft is powered entirely by solar panels and batteries, and continuously stores energy as it flies. The ultra-lightweight plane generates about the same amount of power as a small scooter, company officials say. [Images: Cross-Country Flight in a Solar-Powered Plane]
This weekend's flight takes Solar Impulse over the Chesapeake Bay, which surrounds Virginia and Maryland, as it travels up the Atlantic Coast. As the plane approaches the Empire State, it's due to fly over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects New York City's boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn, and sail past the Statue of Liberty.
Watch it online
Each leg of Solar Impulse's flight is being streamed live online, providing up-to-date information on the aircraft's position, altitude and speed. The live feed also includes views inside the airplane's cockpit, and from Solar Impulse's mission control center in Switzerland. [Watch Live Stream of Solar Impulse Flight]
Solar Impulse's historic coast-to-coast journey began two months ago when the plane took off from Moffett Field near San Francisco on May 3. Since then, the aircraft has stopped in Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Washington.
Swiss pilots and Solar Impulse co-founders, Andr? Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, have alternated piloting the single-seater plane on its cross-country trip. Borschberg was at the controls when the plane left the nation's capital.
Light as a car, wide as a jumbo jet
The carbon-fiber aircraft weighs about the same as a station wagon, and its solar panel-covered wings are roughly the same length as a 747 jetliner. The plane's cross-country expedition is part of an initiative called "Clean Generation," which is designed to demonstrate the potential of clean technologies.
Several events are planned to celebrate Solar Impulse's historic cross-country journey, including a Google Hangout that will be conducted live during the flight. Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, is scheduled to participate in the online chat session.
Next week, Borschberg and Piccard will participate in a NASDAQ opening-bell ceremony in Times Square and meet with U.N. Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon.
This report was updated by NBC News. Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook and Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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