From Scouts-L@tcu.edu Thu Sep 11 03:19:42 1997 Return-Path: Scouts-L@tcu.edu Received: from outbound.Princeton.EDU (outbound.Princeton.EDU [128.112.128.84]) by cap1.CapAccess.org (8.6.12/8.6.10) with ESMTP id DAA13339; Thu, 11 Sep 1997 03:19:42 -0400 Received: from lightpost by outbound.Princeton.EDU with SMTP id <547577-26277>; Thu, 11 Sep 1997 02:46:01 -0400 Received: from pucc.Princeton.EDU (pucc.Princeton.EDU [128.112.129.99]) by outbound.Princeton.EDU (8.8.0/8.6.12) with SMTP id TAA13595; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 19:37:32 -0400 (EDT) Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin MAILER@TCUBVM) by PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 1944; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 09:59:47 -0400 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 0484; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 01:30:17 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LISTSERV release 1.8b) with NJE id 0478 for SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 01:29:38 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM (NJE origin SMTP@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 0477; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 01:29:37 -0500 Received: from ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU by tcubvm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with TCP; Wed, 10 Sep 97 01:29:27 CDT Received: from emf.emf.net (emf.emf.net) by ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU (PMDF V5.0-5 #20456) id <01INGKAUZ3A80018C5@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU> for SCOUTS-L@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 01:27:56 -0500 (CDT) Received: (from troop24@localhost) by emf.emf.net (K/K) id XAA14344 for SCOUTS-L@TCU.EDU; Tue, 09 Sep 1997 23:27:50 -0700 (PDT) Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Message-ID: <199709100627.XAA14344@emf.emf.net> Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 23:27:50 -0700 Reply-To: Alan Houser Sender: Scouts-L Youth Group List From: Alan Houser Subject: Around the World in a Balloon X-To: SCOUTS-L@TCU.EDU To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Status: RO X-Status: I was reading my latest National Geographic and came across an interesting article on the triple attempt last January to circle the globe non-stop in a hot air balloon. The first team was led by Richard Branson, the British multimillionaire (think Virgin Air), in a two million dollar high tech air ship, but they managed to cover 400 miles in 20 hours before descending. It seems that in their haste to depart they forgot to unlock the fuel line couplings so that when it came time to release a one-ton fuel tank, the tank would dangle from the lines, failing to reduce the load. Emergency measures bought a little time and a little distance, but were inadequate to rescue the mission. The second team, a 1.5 million dollar Swiss effort sponsored by a watch company, left 5 days later, failed when a kerosene leak (a $1.16 radiator hose clamp) in the pressurized cabin forced them down after only 6 hours. One day after the second team launch, the third balloon took off from St. Louis. The Solo Spirit, piloted by Steve Fossett alone, a stock options investor from Colorado, cost only $300,000. Fossett failed to circle the world as planned, but he did cross the Atlantic and became the first balloonist to cross Africa. He set down in India when it was clear that he would not have enough fuel to make it across the Pacific. By that time, he had set distance records (10,360.61 miles) and duration records (6 days, 2 hours, 44 minutes). He had hoped to reuse his capsule for another attempt next year, but the Smithsonian called to say they would like to display it. Fossett, age 52, has only been ballooning for four years, when he decided he wanted to fly around the world. Among his other interests, he has competed in the Iditarod, climbed the highest mountains on six continents (two attempts on Everest have not completed the set), swum the English Channel and the Dardanelles, and set eight current world records in sailing. Oh, and he is an Eagle Scout.... YiS, Alan R. Houser ** Scoutmaster, Berkeley Troop 24 ** troop24@emf.net ** WWW page ** http://www.emf.net/~troop24/t24.html ** Scoutmaster, Mt. Diablo Silverado Council Jamboree Troop #637 ** http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/9637/ **