November 19, 1997. Copyright, 1997, Graphic News. All rights reserved

BALLOONISTS RISE TO ROUND THE WORLD CHALLENGE
By Oliver Burkeman

London, November 19, Graphic News: The most coveted place in ballooningÕs record books is the goal of four teams preparing to complete the first ever non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in a manned balloon this winter.
Glory is not all there is to it, of course. All the contenders also have their sights set on the Federation Aeronautique InternationaleÕs cash prize of $1 million. But there, most of the similarities end.
At 24 miles (39km) above sea level, in the stratosphere, the NASA-backed ÔDymocks FlyerÕ will encounter little weather as the two-man team travels west from Alice Springs, Australia, over Africa and South America. They will monitor Ôupward-burstingÕ lightning in thunderstorms beneath them, and will assess the suitability of the stratosphere for commercial intercontinental travel. 
Because temperatures increase with altitude so far above sea level, the crew will rarely need to throw out ballast to keep them aloft.
Below them, at around the same time, the Swiss ÔBreitling OrbiterÕsÕ crew of two and the three-man ÔVirgin Global Challenger 3Õ, carrying British entrepreneur Richard Branson, will cruise at around 33,000ft (10,000m). Harnessing the warm, fast currents of the jetstream, which blow in the opposite direction to stratospheric winds, they will travel east from starting points in Switzerland and Morocco repectively.
Uniquely, Chicagoan Steve Fossett Ð holder of multiple ballooning records including the longest distance, 10,360 statute miles (16,576km) Ð achieved in last winterÕs round the world attempt Ð will travel alone. His ÔSolo SpiritÕ balloon launches in Missouri, crossing the Atlantic to England, Europe, Ukraine and Japan before returning to the U.S.
At 19,800ft (6,000m), Fossett will be the lowest-flying competitor. But he will still be somewhat higher than the 495ft (150m) altitude reached by the first manned balloon, designed by the Montgolfier brothers, during its voyage over Paris 214 years ago on Friday.
Inside their cramped capsules, all except Fossett will breath air created from liquid oxygen and nitrogen. ÔSolo SpiritÕsÕ capsule is unpressurised, forcing the pilot to breath oxygen and withstand low temperatures.
ENDS

Sources: Virgin, Dymocks Flyer, Cameron Balloons