CHONGQING, CHINA // Bad weather has once again delayed the round-the-world flight of the solar-powered Solar Impulse 2.
Wet and cloudy conditions were keeping the plane grounded in China, where it awaits to complete the sixth leg of its journey – from Chongqing to Nanjing.
“Weather conditions aren’t allowing for a flight,” said Hasan Alredaini, an Emirati member of the Solar Impulse team.
With a readjusted schedule, the plane is now set to depart for Nanjing no earlier than Saturday, a 1,190-kilometre trip that requires about 20 hours of flight time.
Earlier this month, the plane flew over the Himalayas from Mandalay in Myanmar to Chongqing after more than a week of delays, again due to bad weather.
While in China, pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg met with children as well as Chinese developers, architects, and urban designers, and learnt about the country’s investment in renewable and clean energy.
From Nanjing, plans are in place to have Solar Impulse 2 embark on its seventh flight, across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. The 8,172km flight will see the plane’s pilot spending an estimated 120 hours in the air.
The Nanjing-Hawaii leg has been described as a feat of endurance for the pilot and the plane’s support crew, which will be constantly monitoring its progress during the five-day journey.
Solar Impulse 2 began its journey in Abu Dhabi last month and is expected to finish it in the UAE capital in July.
esamoglou@thenational.ae
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
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Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
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Rating: 2/5