BALLOON RECORD ATTEMPT
The next launch opportunity is 0700 BST on Wednesday
The projected flight path will go out over the Atlantic Ocean
The British Airways Concorde will be diverted to the south
Posted on 09/02/2003 2:48:09 PM PDT by alnitak
Two British pilots have confirmed they will make an attempt on the world manned balloon altitude record on Wednesday after they were thwarted by adverse cloud conditions on Tuesday.
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BALLOON RECORD ATTEMPT
The next launch opportunity is 0700 BST on Wednesday
The projected flight path will go out over the Atlantic Ocean
The British Airways Concorde will be diverted to the south
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The team decided on Tuesday evening that they would launch their bid after meteorologists predicted favourable conditions for Wednesday.
They plan to begin inflating the envelope ready for launch around 0700 BST (0600 GMT).
Colin Prescot and Andy Elson are attempting to better a 42-year-old record set by two Americans who reached 113,740 feet (34,668 metres) off the Gulf of Mexico.
Dangers of ascent
The QinetiQ 1 balloon will take off from the stern of a prototype warship, RV Triton, stationed off St Ives in Cornwall.
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THE QINETIQ 1 PROJECT
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If all goes well, the pair will reach their target height within five hours of the launch. They will remotely fly a tethered solar-powered plane, the Zephyr 3, around the gondola to video their progress.
The splashdown for the balloon is expected to be 50 to 100 miles (80 to 160 kilometres) out at sea.
The team is well aware of the dangers involved in the mission. One of the two US pilots who set the 1961 record was killed in an accident during recovery.
The rules for the record-breaking attempt have been changed so that Mr Prescot and Mr Elson must both survive at least 24 hours after they return to Earth.
Last minute tweaks
Mr Elson told the BBC that the delay had given him and his colleague time for more fine-tuning.
"Every time we put the spacesuits on, we learn a little bit more about the ergonomics of the flight platform.
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HISTORIC BALLOON FLIGHTS
Pilots have constantly pushed the latest technology to fly their balloons ever higher and further  |
"Today there was one switch which I managed to reach comfortably before but wasn't quite so easy to get to this time and it's an important one, it's the one that controls the ballast.
"We're just extending the switch a little bit," he said.
The QinetiQ 1 balloon is a giant polyethylene envelope as thin as a freezer bag but as tall as New York's Empire State Building.
The altitude attempt is sponsored by QinetiQ, a science and development company spun off from the UK's Ministry of Defence.
The balloon will be visible from 600 miles away
QinetiQ 1 is being launched from an experimental ship, RV Triton. The three-hulled trimaran is the largest in the world.
The ship is fast and extremely manoeuvrable. The stability it offers make it the ideal launch pad for the balloon.
The design used for the ship could become part of the Royal Navy's plans for future fighting ships.
I didn't realize you were there in England. Cool. I share my surname with the guy from Plymouth who circumnavigated in 1577.
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