FAQ (frequently asked questions)

Q: Who is Steve Fossett?

A: Sailor, pilot, balloonist, Steve Fossett is a sportsman and adventurer of many dimensions. His August 1998 attempt to make the first balloon flight around the Earth ended prematurely east of Australia but set ballooning's world distance record at 14,235.33 miles. In all, he tried five times to make the first global circumnavigation, and he scored many firsts: the first flights across the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe and across the Indian and South Atlantic oceans.

In sailing, he holds 10 official world records, including those for crossing the Pacific single-handed, circling Britain and Ireland, and sailing from Newport, R. I. to Bermuda. He holds eight race records, including Newport-Ensenada, Chicago-Mackinac and the Singlehanded Transpac. As a pilot, last year be broke a number of flight records in his Citation X jet; he set the U.S.Transcontinental records for nonmilitary airplanes in both directions, flying from San Francisco to New York City in three hours, 42 minutes, and Jacksonville, Fla., to San Diego in three hours, 29 minutes. He also set the Round The World (RTW) records for medium airplanes both eastbound, in February 2000, and westbound, November 2000.

Long fascinated by endurance sports, he has swum the English Channel, run Alaska's famed Iditarod Dogsled Race, driven the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race and finished the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.

Fossett, 57, is president of Larkspur Securities, Inc., an investments company. He is a Trustee of Washington University, where he earned an MBA in 1968. Fossett is on the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America and is a Fellow of The Royal Geographic Society and The Explorers Club.

Q: What is Fossett's quest?

A: He is attempting to make the First Solo Balloon Flight Round The World.

This remains the last great balloon challenge. The first global flight with a crew was accomplished by Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and his English co-pilot Brian Jones in March 1999.

Q: What happened on his two last attempts?

A: Fossett's previous attempts to make the first balloon circumnavigation garnered international attention. He was heading for a finish in Argentina in August 1998 when he was caught in a violent thunderstorm that ruptured his balloon, and he fell 29,000 feet (8,800 meters) into the Coral Sea 500 miles east of Australia. Miraculously, he survived, and in the process set the absolute world distance record for balloons at 14,235.33 miles (22,910 kilometers). In December 1998, he flew more than halfway around from Morocco to Hawaii with Richard Branson and Per Linstrand.

Q: What's he doing differently this time?

A: There are several changes for this flight, both in the route and the equipment. As with his August 1998 attempt, Fossett will be flying in the Southern Hemisphere, which means he will have far fewer political problems because he'll be flying over approximately five countries.

The balloon envelope will be much larger this time. It will contain 550,000 cubic feet of helium and 100,000 cubic feet of hot air. The larger size will allow provide greater duration and higher 1st day flight altitude. These allow for greater options in flight path. In addition, the balloon will have full mylar insulating barriers which offer a possibility of increased duration. Pre-flight analysis indicates that the new design will have an operating duration of 22 days as opposed to the predicted operation duration of 18 days on the previous flight.

The capsule has also been increased in size to 7 foot long by 5 1/2 feet wide by 5 1/2 feet tall. A new control station much like an aircraft control station improves the comfort of operating the balloon. A cabin heating system designed by faculty in Washington University's School of Engineering and Applied Science will maintain the temperature between 40 - 70 degrees F. The oxygen system has been improved to include a moisturizer to reduce the dryness associated with a pure oxygen system.

Q: Where and when is the launch?

A: Fossett will launch from Northam, Western Australia, 60 miles east of Perth in August. Because weather conditions are unpredictable, a specific launch date cannot be set. A launch window begins when the weather conditions are optimal for a successful completion of the feat.

Q: Why leave from the Southern Hemisphere?

A: Taking off from Australia should enable him to better manage the thunderstorm risk. The danger is greatest over the Coral Sea, so launching within a day's flight of that trouble spot makes the weather there more "forecastable." Southern Hemisphere winds are over water most of the time, making them more stable, though slower, than in the Northern Hemisphere. (Air flow around the Northern Hemisphere is more complicated, or convoluted, because of terrain features.) Top sailing and ballooning meteorologist Bob Rice will again provide routing and weather for Fossett.

Q: Why not leave from the east coast of Australia?

A: Starting inland, he will have a day to abort and land, if there are serious equipment problems, before heading out over the Pacific Ocean. To successfully qualify as a RTW flight, Fossett must land east of the longitude from which he ascended. If he left from the eastern coast of Australia, he'd have to splash down in the Pacific Ocean to qualify.

Q: What are the necessary launch conditions?

A: A high-pressure system and its associated light winds, fair-weather conditions, and predictions of fair weather over the southern Pacific are needed. Thus, a successful launch will require a lining up of the upper-air wind patterns with calm surface weather conditions in Australia and with fair weather over the southern Pacific.

Q: What do launch codes Red, Yellow, and Green mean?

A: During the days before the launch, Chief Meteorologist Bob Rice is constantly evaluating weather conditions to determine whether a launch is advisable. The launch status is expressed as one of the following codes. Red means there is no possibility of a launch due to weather conditions. Yellow means the team is evaluating a possible launch date but chances of a launch are still marginal and the forecast is still too long to be certain of conditions. Green means there is a high degree of confidence for a launch. However, even at Code Green, the launch can be shut down at any time if conditions change.

Q: What is the most likely route?

A: After launching from Northam, Solo Spirit will most likely cross Australia and the South Pacific, approaching South America in the vicinity of Santiago, Chile. Flying over Chile, Argentina and the South Atlantic, he would then pass just south of Capetown, South Africa, cross the Indian Ocean and then back to Australia. As such, Fossett will fly over water about 90 percent of the time, and the winds over acceptable routing areas will be relatively slow. (Because Solo Spirit's capsule is unpressurized, it cannot fly at higher levels, where winds are faster, and the team has chosen not to fly at high latitudes, where winds are as strong as in the Northern Hemisphere, because that would mean a flight primarily over the southern oceans, a most inhospitable area.)

Q: How long would a successful circumnavigation take?

A: Solo Spirit would take about 15 days.

Q: What conditions will Fossett be dealing with in the capsule?

A: Spartan. Like the last flight, his capsule will be unpressurized and he will need to breathe from liquid oxygen cylinders most of the flight. However, with the bigger capsule (7 foot long by 5 1/2 foot wide by 5 1/2 foot tall), he will have more room to stretch out. For example, he will have a full-length bunk with a sleeping bag. In addition, the heating system will allow him to wear less bulky clothes. His diet will consist of military-style MREs (meals ready to eat), warmed by chemical heat packs. The lavatory is a bucket.

Q: What are the dimensions of the capsule?

A: Approximately 7 feet long, 5 feet 6 inches inches wide and 5 feet 6 inches high. It is made of a lightweight composite of Kevlar and carbon, fitted with a plastic bubble hatch on top.

Q: What are the specifics of the balloon itself?

A: Fossett will fly a helium and hot-air balloon combination, known as a Rozière. The balloon envelope will be much larger than the one used in his August, 1998 flight - containing 550,000 cubic feet of helium, as opposed to 450,000 cubic feet before, and it contains 100,000 cubic feet of hot air. The balloon envelope is 140 feet tall and 60 feet wide.

Q: How does the Comstock autopilot work?

A: Former team member Bruce Comstock developed the first operable balloon autopilot for Fossett. It maintains a constant altitude for the balloon by controlling the burner. It does this by evaluating data from an external pressure sensor and a vertical speed indicator. These data are used to dictate when and how often the burner should fire. (The burner on the balloon regulates helium temperature. Helium controls the lift by expanding, helping the balloon rise. When the burner is off, the helium contracts, which makes the balloon descend.)

Q: What kind of engine?

A: None. The Solo Spirit will be powered solely by wind currents.

Q: Is he carrying a reserve supply of fuel?

A: Based on projections, Fossett will be carrying enough fuel to last 22 days.

Q: What is the outside air temperature up there?

A: Outside temperatures will be about -30°F, with the possibility of -50°F.

Q: How does Fossett navigate?

A: He's using Global Positioning System (GPS), a satellite system that gives precise latitude and longitude positions.

Q: To what extent will Fossett be in control of the balloon?

A: He can control altitude by firing his hot-air burner. Wind directions are slightly different at varying altitudes, so he can change direction.

Q: At what speed will Fossett travel?

A: He will fly an average of 50 miles an hour, but at times may reach 130 miles per hour.

Q: How high is Fossett's cruising altitude?

A: The first day altitude will be 20,000 feet, then climbing 1,200 feet each day until reaching 25,000 feet, where he will cruise. Maximum altitude is 30,000 feet.

Q: What if he has to land in the ocean?

A: The capsule has been tested to be seaworthy. As a backup, Fossett will have a four-man life raft, a survival suit and sufficient food and water should he have to land in the ocean. He has a satellite rescue beacon called an EPIRB (Emergency Position Identifier Rescue Beacon), which he would activate to alert the appropriate Rescue Control Center (RCC) of his position. The RCC would then dispatch the nearest ship to pick him up.

Q: What constitutes "around the world?" The Earth is 25,000 miles around at the Equator, but Fossett is staying well south and probably won't travel that far. Will his flight still qualify?

A: Yes. As established by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the rules say a pilot must set a course of waypoints within a band of the Earth that stays at least 30° latitude south of the North Pole or 30° north of the South Pole. The lines joining those waypoints (on a "great circle" projection) must stay outside those polar caps, although parts of the actual flight can drift inside them.

Q: The Solo Spirit home page shows the balloon's speed and distance traveled in kilometers; how can I figure out the equivalent in miles?

A: While it is customary in the United States to measure distance in statute miles, most other countries use kilometers. Nautical miles are often used for distances measured over an ocean. All these units are used in various locations on the Web site. Here is how to convert between them: 1 kilometer (km) = 0.621 statute miles or 0.540 nautical miles, 1 statute mile = 1.609 km or 0.869 nautical miles, 1 nautical mile = 1.852 km or 1.151 statute miles. Speed can be expressed in several different units. Here are some common conversions: 1 mile per hour = 1.609 km per hour or 0.869 knots, 1 km per hour = 0.621 miles per hour or 0.540 knots, 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour, 1.151 statute miles per hour, or 1.852 km per hour; 1 meter per second = 2.236 miles per hour or 3.6 km per hour

Q: What about conversions for temperature and pressure?

A: Temperature is commonly measured in degrees Celsius, although in the United States people are used to seeing degrees Fahrenheit. Here are the conversions: F = 32 + 1.8 C; C = 0.556 (F - 32). The pressure of the atmosphere can be measured in many different units, including pounds per square inch (PSI), atmospheres (atm), pascals (Pa), and millimeters of mercury (mmHg). 1 atm = 760 mmHg, 101,325 Pa, or 14.7 PSI 1 PSI = 6892.9 Pa.

Q: What does UTC mean next to the date and time?

A: Throughout the Solo Spirit Web site you will see the date and time followed by the letters UTC. UTC means Universal Time, essentially the same as Greenwich Mean Time, the time at 0 degrees longitude. Read more about UTC here.

Q: Where is Mission Control for the Solo Spirit flight, and what role does it perform?

A: Mission Control will be located at Washington University in St. Louis. It is responsible for maintaining communication with the balloon, mapping flight paths, and tracking the balloon's progress. Washington University students and faculty will assist in the mission, processing the data received and tracking the position of the balloon. The media center also will operate from the Mission Control Center, which is Room 300 of Brookings Hall, the University's main administration building.

Q: How will Fossett keep in touch with Mission Control at Washington University?

A: A laptop computer will be Fossett's primary means of communicating (by satellite e-mail) with Mission Control and his meteorology team. Transmissions will be via the INMARSAT C satellite, which sends the data from an antenna on the balloon to a satellite and on to receiving stations on Earth. It operates at approximately 2,400 bits per second. INMARSAT C, which is a satellite e-mail, will be the main means of communication with the Mission Control Center.

Q: How can I send Fossett an e-mail message to wish him good luck?

A: You can't send him e-mail directly; only Mission Control can do that. However, you may leave a message for him using the online Guest Book. All messages from the Guest Book will be compiled into an album and presented to Fossett after the flight. Please don't expect a reply to your Guest Book message; there are just too many of them to allow for individual replies.