Solar plane stays aloft 24 hours

Switzerland's experimental Solar Impulse plane made a record 24-hour test flight that showed the goal of flying around the world was not out of reach, as the plane's massive lightweight solar collectors (spread on a wing 63m in span) can collect and store enough energy in the day to keep flying at night to stay aloft all night.
COMMENT: This is going to be really neat. You won't see solar airliners, but there are applications in many other areas. For the Swiss, though, the immediate goal is just surmounting the challenge of doing what's never been done.