Up Next
Back to Show
Watch Preview
NOVA
The Impossible Flight
Season 45
Episode 3
On March 9, 2015, Solar Impulse II took off from Abu Dhabi on one of the greatest aviation adventures of our time: the first solar-powered flight around the world. Together with a team of brilliant engineers, two visionary pilots—Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg—designed and built Solar Impulse from scratch, even though top airplane manufacturers told them it would be “impossible to control.”
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:21
Follow the epic journey of dog domestication and see what science says about dogs’ love.
1:52:46
Paleontologist Kirk Johnson explores the dynamic history—and future—of ice at the poles.
53:31
Discover the science behind Leonardo da Vinci's masterpieces—and Mona Lisa's iconic smile.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:25
Can new engineering techniques help prevent deadly bridge collapses?
53:27
Amazing fossils reveal how mammals took over after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:32
Discover why scientists and entrepreneurs alike have their sights set on the Moon again.
53:22
In the shadow of Vesuvius and Pompeii, a lesser-known volcano puts Naples at risk.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:34
New technologies are promising a new renaissance in space travel.
53:23
New archeological evidence shows the stunning engineering of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:15
Journey to Kīlauea volcano to investigate the eruptions that shook Hawaiʻi in 2018.
53:51
Join scientists as they grab light from across the universe to prove quantum entanglement.