We’ve got some wonderful news in store for you! If you’re not living in California but want experience some of the first Across America events, a live streaming of an educational conference is going to take place next week open to all those that are interested, on Friday April 19^th at 09:00am PDT (UTC-8), with the presence of Solar Impulse’s Co-Founders and Pilots.

And for those you that live in the Bay Area: we were able to organize the open house on April 20^th of HB-SIA directly at the impressive Moffett Airfield hangar! Don’t miss this chance! Bring your friends and family to see this flying laboratory with their own eyes!

For these two abovementioned events you will find all the information you need here below:

Live streaming of Stanford University’s Panel Events & Discussions with Solar Impulse’s Founders and Pilots!

Save the date: Friday April 19^th

Where: Directly from your personal computer!

What: Stanford University Panel Events & Discussions

How: Let's meet online on our website. You will find a direct link on our homepage at 09:00am PDT (UTC-8)

Open House: Come See the Solar Airplane with your Own Eyes!

Save the date: Saturday April 20^th

Where: Moffett Airfield at NASA’s Ames Research Center

What: Public visits of Solar Impulse’s HB-SIA solar airplane

How? Just click here and sign-in for a time slot – but beware, spaces are limited for security reasons and only registered people will be able to access the premises.

Are you a fan of Solar Impulse? Have you ever wondered how you could become more involved without having to send in your CV? The answer is: become a Supporter! There are different options through the Solar Impulse Foundation and if you decide to make the step, sign-up for the adventure and be a part of our journey! Become part of the team! Furthermore, exceptionally for the month of December, you will get a free item (while stocks last) for each subscription besides the perk already linked to categories!

• It’s free to become a Friend – a great way to always be informed of new events and developments – and you will receive wallpapers for your computer screen
• If you’re ready to take a step further and become an Adventurer –a way to be always one step ahead of the news- you will get a wonderful Solar Impulse key chain in addition to the Team’s badge!

• And if you want to step up your commitment by having a personalized solar cell on HB-SIA’s wings, just sign up for the Innovator category and get your own autographed picture by André and Bertrand!

Join us in our adventure!

Investing in renewable energies is contagious, or at least what’s happening to the schools in the Maldives make it seem so. Solar Impulse has been in touch with Mr. Odon Sanchez, a young passionate physics and math teacher from Billabong High International School Maldives, since 2011. It all started thanks to his interest in the Solar Impulse project and his desire to educate his students about renewable energy and solar power was obviously a success, as you’ll read below.

He introduced the project to the students and they all agreed to raise $10 each to personalize a solar cell on HB-SIA's wings and donate to the Solar Impulse project, an option through Solar Impulse's Supporters Program. Eighteen of them decided to volunteer (seventeen from grade 10 and one from grade 9) and André and Bertrand sent a letter of encouragement to the class thanking them for their enthusiasm and inciting them to motivate others to be pioneers like themselves.

Once all the money was collected and the school was ready to purchase solar cell n° 731, Solar Impulse decided to offer it as a gift to the motivated youth so that they would use the collected money to invest in some local renewable energy projects. Mr. Sanchez got together with the students and they all agreed to try and install solar panels on their school’s roof.

On July 6, 2012, Billabong High International School and Wirsol Renewable Energy Maldives signed an agreement to install 100 kW of solar panels, becoming the first school in the Maldives where over half of the energy consumption will be from solar power. The panels will be installed this autumn.

What is most incredible is that these youth’s pioneering spirit truly is contagious: four other schools have also contacted Wirsol Renewable Energy Maldives to install panels on their roofs as well. We’re all excited about this project and eager to see the photos of the brand new photovoltaic panels shining on Billabong’s Maldivian roof!

Good job to all the students and to their inspiring professor!

(Signing of the agreement between the school and Wirsol Renewable Energy Maldives. From left to right: Stefan Riel of Wirsol, Ibrahim Nashid of Renewable Energy Maldives and Odon Sanchez, professor at Billabong High International School Maldives).

To honor the 2012 Crossing Frontiers mission flight, Solar Impulse has prepared this year’s new collector’s badge! By popular demand, Solar Impulse setup the Supporters Program to allow everybody interested in the project to get the latest news and be part of the adventure.

Solar Impulse launched the Supporters Program in 2009 and, with it, began distributing official mission badges to all those that upgrade to the Adventurer status every year. The 2012 Crossing Frontiers badge is the fourth badge of the collection and, if you want to become a collector, don’t waste any more time and sign-up for the Adventurer status! For only 40 Euros or 50 Swiss Francs a year, start you exclusive collection of Solar Impulse’s Mission flights badge!

It’s very simple to join the challenge: simply follow this link and click on the Adventurer category and fill in your personal details. And don’t forget, it’s the Solar Impulse HB-SIA’s first intercontinental, so what better to remember the mission’s “Best Of’s” than by having your own badge?