Solar Impulse lands at Dulles International Airport

(Reuters) - An airplane entirely powered by the sun landed in Washington on Sunday after a flight from St. Louis, the next-to-last leg of a journey across the United States intended to boost support for clean energy technologies.

The Solar Impulse landed at Dulles International Airport outside Washington at 12:15 a.m. EDT, organizers said in a statement. It will remain in the U.S. capital until it takes off for New York in early July for the last leg of its historic trip.

If the spindly experimental aircraft completes the journey as planned, it will be the first solar-powered plane capable of operating day and night to fly across the United States.

"It proves the reliability and potential of clean technologies, and this is crucial in pushing our message forward," Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard said in the statement. Piccard founded the Solar Impulse project with fellow pilot Andre Borschberg.

With the wingspan of a jumbo jet and the weight of a small car, the Solar Impulse is a test model for a more advanced aircraft the team plans to build to fly around the world in 2015.

The plane completed the first leg of the journey from San Francisco to Phoenix in early May and flew later that month from Phoenix to Dallas.

In early June, the Solar Impulse made the trip from Dallas to St. Louis. It flew to Washington in nearly 30 hours of flying over two days.

The project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million euros ($112 million). It has involved engineers from Swiss escalator maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay.

The plane made its first intercontinental flight, from Spain to Morocco, in June 2012.

The aircraft is propelled by energy collected from 12,000 solar cells in its wings that simultaneously recharge batteries for night use.

Click here for the Calendar of Events at Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum including the Solar Impulse Exhibition

Where to Stay?

Embassy Suites Dulles Airport
13341 Woodland Park Drive
Herndon, Virginia, 20171, USA

TEL: 1-703-464-0200

Embassy Suites Dulles Airport Air and Space Museum Package includes:

• Complimentary Cooked-to-Order breakfast
• Evening reception with complimentary drinks* and snacks
• Two tickets to the IMAX Theater at the Air and Space Museum
• Shuttle to and from the Air and Space Museum (Vehicle parking at the Museum is $15.00)
• Two-room suite 
• Free Internet Access

Click here to reserve the Air and Space Museum Package and see the  Solar Impulse at Dulles International

Northern VIrginia Lights up with 4th of July Fireworks

Virginia Fireworks 2013 - 4th of July Fireworks in Northern Virginia

By Rachel Cooper, About.com Guide

© Alexandria Symphony Orchestra

Virginia has a variety of places to see 4th of July fireworks. You can see spectacular views of the fireworks on the National Mall from the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) in Arlington, Virginia near the Rosslyn Metro station and areas along the Virginia side of the Potomac River that can be reached from George Washington Memorial Parkway. You may park at the Gravelly Point parking lot, which is about a quarter mile from the 14th Street Bridge. Another great place to watch the fireworks is from the Air Force Memorial on Columbia Pike. An all day festival will be held atLong Bridge Park in Arlington providing an ideal location to view the National Mall fireworks.

Here are some other places in Virginia to see 4th of July fireworks. Events are held on July 4th unless otherwise noted. See a map of fireworks locations in the DC metropolitan area

• Alexandria - Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St., Alexandria, Virginia. Celebrate Alexandria’s Birthday & the USA’s on Saturday, July 13, 2013, 4-10 p.m. Enjoy a concert by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra at 9 and fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

• Fairfax - Fairfax City, Independence Day Parade through the downtown area beginning at 10 a.m. Musical entertainment begins at 7 p.m. at Fairfax High School with a spectacular fireworks display at dark. (703) 385-7858.

• Falls Church - George Mason High School, 7124 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia. Live music will start at 7 p.m. followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

• Herndon - Herndon Community Center, 814 Ferndale Ave. Herndon, Virginia. (703) 787-7300. Rides open at 5 p.m. Music, crafts, bingo, games at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

• King's Dominion - 16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell, Virginia. Independence Day celebrations and fireworks.

• Leesburg - Ida Lee Park, Rt. 15 (King Street) and Ida Lee Drive, Leesburg, Virginia. (703) 777-1368. Gates open at 6 p.m. Fireworks around 9:30 p.m.

• Manassas - 9431 West Street, Manassas, Virginia. (703) 335-8872. Enjoy live music, children’s activities, food and fireworks. Entertainment begins at 4 p.m. Fireworks at 9:15 p.m.

• McLean - Langley High School, 6520 Georgetown Pike McLean, Virginia. (703) 790-0123. Grounds open at 8 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m. Free admission and parking. Shuttle buses will be available from St. John’s Lutheran Church (on Douglass St. and Georgetown Pike) and the McLean Community Center.

• Reston - Lake Fairfax Park, 1400 Lake Fairfax Dr., Reston, Virginia. (703) 471-5415. Fireworks begin around 9:15 p.m.

• Vienna - Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry Street Southeast, Vienna, Virginia. Arts and crafts, food, live music, vendors, and games. Celebrations start at 11 a.m. Fireworks at 9:15 p.m. at Southside Park on Ross Dr.

Make this 4th of July a Celebration to remember with an overnight stay in Northern Virginia.  Embassy Suites Dulles Airport in Herndon puts you in the midst of some of the best firework displays in the state.

This all suite Herndon VA  hotel provides:

• Free cooked to order breakfast
• Complimentary Evening Reception
• Two Room Suites
• Free Internet Access
• Hotel Shuttle in three mile radius of hotel 

Call  1-703-464-0200 or Click Here to choose an Over night Hotel Package perfect for your Northern Virginia 4th of July Celebration !

Where in the World (of Northern Virginia) is Embassy Suites Dulles Airport sign?

Embassy Suites Dulles Airport needs your help to find their Embassy Suites Sign !

We just discovered our Embassy Suites Dulles Airport sign missing.  It left a note (go figure?) that it's on a quest to discover all the great sites and attractions of Northern Virginia this summer.  And it won't stop till it's visited every one.

Please help us get our sign back to our hotel where it belongs (we miss it!). 

"Like" the facebook page of Embassy Suites Dulles Airport and post the location of our sign.

You may just win a free weekend at Embassy Suites Dulles Airport  AND help us get our sign back.

The correct entries will be chosen at a monthly drawing and announced on the hotels' facebook page.

Have a great Northern Virginia Summer from all of us at  Embassy Suites Dulles Airport !

Embassy Suites Dulles Airport Recognized by Trip Advisor | PRLog

Embassy Suites Dulles Airport Recognized by Trip Advisor | PRLog