Balloon Flight Holds Records, Lessons

CHICAGO — Steve Fossett’s aborted attempt to circle the earth in a balloon ended in a bumpy landing in India on Monday, but it set records for distance and duration and provided lessons for the adventurer’s next try, his team said.

A larger balloon may be needed to fly higher and faster than Fossett’s Solo Spirit, and the balloonist may have to carry more propane, team members said.

Fossett’s $300,000 balloon had a supposed altitude ceiling of 18,000 feet, but he pushed it to 24,000 feet.

Pinned to the walls of the team’s Chicago headquarters at Loyola University were maps tracing Fossett’s 10,000-mile voyage over 15 countries in six days, two hours and 49 minutes. Fossett, who began his journey Jan. 13 in St. Louis, broke his own world record for distance and outlasted the previous record for continuous manned balloon flight: six days and 16 minutes.