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The Rose-Hulman Solar Phantom VI, the top
qualifier for the American Solar Challenge national race, was
among the featured attractions June 29 at the Museum of
Science and Industry in Chicago.
The car and several team members were part of
a ceremony marking the start of the Solar Independence exhibit
at the museum. The new exhibit is sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Energy. The hands-on exhibit features learning
opportunities to discover the value of renewable energy. The
Solar Phantom was the only entry in the American Solar
Challenge to be featured at the exhibit's opening ceremonies.
The Solar Phantom team is involved in final
preparations to compete in the American Solar Challenge which
begins at the Museum of Science and Industry on Sunday, July
15. The 2,300-mile race will take place on historic route 66
to Claremont, Calif., ending on July 25.
Solar Phantom V finished third in the last
cross-country race, Sunrayce '99. The team defended its title
by repeating as winners of the Formula Sun Grand Prix last
month in Topeka, Kansas with the new car.
Solar Phantom VI contains 780 solar cells on
its carbon fiber and nomex composite body. The car weighs 550
pounds, has three wheels and is 6 feet wide and 18 feet long.
It has reached a top speed of 72 miles per hour.
(Return to Solar
Phantom News)
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