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Round-the-world balloon mission waits
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AMERICAN millionaire Steve Fossett's latest attempt to be the first man to fly a balloon solo around the world is all set to go, except for one key thing -- the right weather.
Twiddling their thumbs in the Australian outback town of Kalgoorlie, the adventurer's team said yesterday that the 150-foot tall, 20,000-pound solo spirit balloon was ready to launch on its record-breaking flight.
But a low pressure front that had brought stiff winds and frigid temperatures to the arid, red sand plains of Western Australia meant this week's planned takeoff had been put back.
Outside, the balloon's 40 cylinders were lined up while the hanger housed the balloon's kevlar capsule, dripping with cameras, global positioning systems and satellite communications, and a chamber where Fossett will sleep to get used to the lack of air pressure he will face 20,000 feet up.
It will be Fossett's fifth attempt to get around the world on his own in a balloon.
The last time he tried it in 1998 he was caught in a thunderstorm off Australia's northeastern coast that shredded his canopy and sent him plummeting down to the water at 2,500 feet per minute. Miraculously, he survived.
Team leaders said this time they had a better chance of fulfilling the dream that has always enthralled enthusiasts of the oldest form of air travel.
Launching from Australia will also help him to get through the most dangerous part of a southern hemisphere circumnavigation -- thunderstorms off the coast of Australia.
The key to success is weather forecasting.
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