A team of pilots, researchers and support crew scored a point for renewable energy early Saturday morning when their cutting-edge solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse touched down in Phoenix, Ariz. following an 18-hour, 18-minute flight from a base on the California coast.

The lengthy flight was the first leg in a multi-stop odyssey from California to New York that, if successful, will be the first cross-country flying trip with travel occurring during both daytime and nighttime.

Solar Impulse pilot Bertrand Piccard flew the aircraft on the first leg of its trip for 650 nautical miles at an average altitude of 10,000 feet and a ground speed of 40.6 miles per hour — less than half the top speed of a Cessna 172, a common small four-seat propeller aircraft.

For the next leg, an 865-mile trip from Phoenix to Dallas/Forth Worth, fellow pilot and Solar Impulse CEO André Borschberg will take the controls. The pair will be alternating like this for the remaining four parts of the journey, allowing the off-duty pilot the physical and mental rest needed following his prolonged stretches of time at the helm.

The Solar Impulse's full schedule is listed below — it could be changed due to weather, operational issues or other unforeseen events.

May 3rd 2013: First leg, San Francisco/Moffett Airfield – Phoenix/Sky Harbor Mid May 2013: Second leg, Phoenix/Sky Harbor – Dallas/Fort Worth End May – Early June 2013: Third leg, Dallas/Fort Worth – St. Louis/Lambert Airport Mid June 2013: Fourth leg, St. Louis/Lambert Airport – Washington DC/Dulles Early July 2013: Fifth and last leg, Washington DC/Dulles – New York/JFK

SEE ALSO: Aviation History Is Being Made Right Now, and You Can Watch Online

Aviation history is chock full of record-setting flights: Charles Lindbergh's first trans-Atlantic flight, Chuck Yaegar breaking the sound barrier and Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager's non-stop flight around the world in the Rutan Voyager. Solar Impulse, however, is perhaps the first record attempt where thousands of people can virtually join the pilots in their mission. By visiting live.solarimpulse.com when the plane takes to the air, fans can view livestreams of cockpit footage, listen to the pilot's audio feed and see the readouts from the plane's instrumentations.

For Piccard and Borschberg, Solar Impulse's goal is to expand the frontier of what's possible in aviation technology, proving that solar power can be a viable means of energy even when the sun's not shining.

“We've been dreaming about crossing the United States for years — the land of scientific research, innovation and aviation pioneers – and it's hard to believe it's really happening," said Borschberg and Piccard in a statement emailed to reporters. "We are thrilled to have safely and successfully completed this first leg and we weren't alone: thousands of names of our supporters virtually accompanied us. With them, we launched the 'Clean Generation' initiative promoting clean technologies."

Will you watch Solar Impulse attempt its record-setting flight? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Images via Solar Impulse, Fred Merz