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More balloonists aim for nonstop world flight
Watch their progress on CNN Interactive
January 10, 1997
Web posted at: 8:45 p.m. EST (0145 GMT)CHATEAU D'OEX, Switzerland (CNN) -- A Swiss-Belgian team of balloonists hopes to take off from the Alps this weekend in a bid to circle the world nonstop and set a record.
An attempt by tycoon Richard Branson and his crew to do likewise ended Wednesday morning after technical glitches, just 19 hours after takeoff from Marrakech, Morocco.
As soon as meteorological conditions permit, the Breitling Orbiter, manned by Wim Verstraeten and Bertrand Piccard, will lift off from Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland in a journey that will be tracked by a special CNN Interactive section.
Verstraeten, a Belgian, and Piccard, who is Swiss, likely will take off between noon Saturday and 12 a.m. Sunday, when weather conditions on the ground and at high altitudes have been forecast as appropriate for a successful launch.
The Orbiter, a 42-meter-high (139-foot) rozier balloon will follow a southeasterly course from Switzerland, relying on favorable jet stream currents to complete a trip around the world in about 15 days.
If all goes according to plan, the balloon, sometimes reaching speeds over 200 kph (120 mph), should fly over Greece, Turkey, Afghanistan, the Gobi Desert, Korea and Japan. It will then travel across the Pacific to the California coast and float over the central United States and the Atlantic Ocean before returning to Europe.
Through the course of the Orbiter's flight, CNN Interactive will feature digital images from the cabin and updates from the pilot's log as well as news reports and a special background section on balloon technology and history.
A rival team of balloonists led by Chicago millionaire Steve Fossett also is awaiting the chance to take off and achieve a round-the-world record. His balloon Solo Spirit is to depart this month from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Fossett was unsuccessful last January, when his balloon crash-landed in New Brunswick, Canad 2a.
Related stories:
- Round-the-world balloonist falls short - January 10, 1996
- Balloonist attempting to circle globe - January 9, 1996
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