Solar plane takes off for first intercontinental flight
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The Solar Impulse HB-SIA experimental aircraft is pulled out a hanger at Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The solar-powered airplane arrived in Madrid on May 25, 2012 from Payerne, Switzerland, and now goes on to Rabat, Morocco on its first transcontinental trip. The mission is described as the final dress rehearsal for a round-the-world flight with a new and improved aircraft in 2014. (AP Photo/Alberto Di Lolli)
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA experimental aircraft is pulled out a hanger at Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The solar-powered airplane arrived in Madrid on May 25, 2012 from Payerne, Switzerland, and now goes on to Rabat, Morocco on its first transcontinental trip. The mission is described as the final dress rehearsal for a round-the-world flight with a new and improved aircraft in 2014. (AP Photo/Alberto Di Lolli)
A Swiss adventurer soared above sun-splashed Spanish valleys toward Morocco on June 5 on the world's first intercontinental flight in a solar-powered plane.