The quest to complete the first non-stop balloon flight around the world began in 1850 with an American, John Wise. The first attempts using modern technology were made by Maxie Anderson and Don Ida in 1981-82, followed by four attempts in the early 1990s by Larry Newman.
In 1987 Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand became the first to cross the Atlantic. In 1997 the American millionaire Steve Fossett, flying alone, set a new record, flying from Missouri to northern India, a distance of 16,000 km. The next year, again in Solo Spirit, he flew nearly half-way around the world.
Mr Fossett joined up with his old rival Richard Branson and with Per Lindstrand for an attempt in the ICO Global Challenger in December last year. The Challenger flew from Morocco to Honolulu, a distance of more than 12,000 miles. Mr Branson's three previous attempts had ended in failure.