Conversation so far:
What are some world record attempts Richard Branson has made?
Branson made several world record-breaking attempts after 1985, when in the spirit of the Blue Riband he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing.
What is some information about the boat Richard Branson used when he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing?
Branson's first attempt on the record, in 65 ft twin-hull Virgin Atlantic Challenger, departed New York in June 1985.
Are there any other notable record attempts Richard Branson made after the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing attempt?
In January 1991, Branson crossed the Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada, 6,700 miles (10,800 km), in a balloon of 2,600,000 cubic feet (74,000 m3).
How long did it take Richard Branson to the cross the Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada in a balloon?
46 hr 15 min
Did Richard Branson fail any attempts at a world record?
In September 2008, Branson and his children made an unsuccessful attempt
What was the unsuccessful attempt by Richard Branson and his children in September 2008?
an unsuccessful attempt at an eastbound record crossing of the Atlantic Ocean under sail in the 99 feet (30 m) sloop Virgin Money.
What are some records Richard Branson successfully attempted?
In March 2004, Branson set a record by travelling from Dover to Calais in a Gibbs Aquada in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 6 seconds
How did Richard Branson travel from Dover to Calais?
the fastest crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle
Did Richard Branson attempt the records with anyone else?
Between 1995 and 1998, Branson, Per Lindstrand, Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Larry Newman, and Steve Fossett made attempts to circumnavigate the globe by balloon.
Were Richard Branson, Per Lindstrand, Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Larry Newman, and Steve Fossett successful in their attempts to circumnavigate the globe by balloon?
In late 1998, they made a record-breaking flight from Morocco to Hawaii but were unable to complete a global flight before Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones in Breitling Orbiter 3 in March 1999.

Question: What were some problems they encountered?
Self-contained rewrite: What were some problems Richard Branson, Per Lindstrand, Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Larry Newman, and Steve Fossett  encountered while attempting to circumnavigate the globe by balloon?