I felt like a little boy who let go of his balloon in a playground. The balloon landed in Algeria but was damaged beyond repair. Branson says a new one will be ready by the end of January. Rutan, who flew 26,000 miles round the world without refueling in his Voyager airplane in 1986, suspects Branson was snookered into a hurry-up attempt by Fossett, who announced he would launch on December 7, then didn't. Everyone in the race worries about Fossett, whose balloon is called Solo Spirit.
Sleep is crucial.
For Fossett, simple is best. I decided early on that the greatest vulnerability to distance balloon flights was equipment failure. He plans to fly at 24,000 feet much of the time. Sleep is a crucial factor, he says. Last year he slept only two hours a day, a maximum of 15 minutes at a time.