Fosset's Trying for Balloon Record Again

jcarley writes: "After crashing into the coral sea last time, adventurer Steve Fossett has launched from Western Australia on a another attempt at the first solo circumnavigation of the world in a balloon. These efforts seem highly prone to technical, weather or political disasters but so far it has been incident free. He has covered 1866km (1159 miles) so far and is in South Australia heading east. You can follow his progress." The site has quite a few cool images as well.

Mission Control

[topham]

Mission Control impresses me.

THe live video feed has less activity on it than live footage of continental drift.

Ho hum

[hubie]

These kinds of feats just don't have the glamor they used to. Especially since his gondola is all tricked out with hi-tech stuff. The balloon even flies itself so that he can sleep. I understand that this is a very tough feat, particularly since this is his 5th attempt at it, but it just doesn't have that extra dimension that makes it very exciting (it isn't a first circumnavigation, because that was done in the 16th century [mariner.org]; it doesn't demonstrate the possibilites of future transport [charleslindbergh.com] or a smaller world; it doesn't have great political implications [nasa.gov]; nor is it a demonstration of new technologies and engineering [nasm.edu]). I doubt that 100,000 people will storm the landing zone in celebration if he does make it around.

Re:Ho hum

[M-G]

I think there are a few things that contribute this being a ho-hum feat:

* Fosset is a billionaire. He spent a lot of money to do this, so it's a very professional attempt, not the apparent bubblegum and duct-tape events of the past. As I recall, Lindbergh didn't even have a radio on board due to the extra weight.

* We're inundated with statistics these days. Someone can tell you who the first 5'9" bleach-blonde half-Spanish-half-Japanese woman to pick her nose on a commercial airline flight was.

* While there is an element of danger, most people don't think of this as terribly risky...after all, people fly in balloons all the time. With the rise of "extreme" sports, people see a lot of people taking risks with obvious dangerous consequences.

Re:Ho hum

[DNS-and-BIND]

Yeah, this just doesn't have the attraction that the guys trying to shoot themselves into space do. For one thing, all the man is doing is being a passenger...it's not like he built his aircraft. Now, an interview or a story about the builders, that would be slashdot-worthy...who cares about some billionaire trying to make his name live on after he dies by attempting a ho-hum feat of aeronautics.

Alone makes it better?!

[insane.idoru]

I was a little bit excited when I heard about this - will he really make it? - until I found out about the Breitling Orbiter 3 [breitling.com]. Turns out a very similar balloon has already gone around the earth, and it wasn't that long ago. The only difference? It was two people, not one. It kind of deflated my enthusiasm for the whole thing. (No pun intended...really!)

But then again, what prupose does it serve to fly a huge weird looking balloon around the earth anyway? These rich people should go find a cure for cancer or something.