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New Page 1Adventurer Fossett launches solo balloon trip (2001/08/08) US adventurer Steve Fossett on Sunday launched his balloon from the Western Australian desert in another attempt to become the first to fly a balloon solo around the world. US millionaire adventurer Steve Fossetts balloon is inflated by his ground-crew under a full moon in the township of Northam, located 100 kilometres east of Perth in Western Australia, August 5, 2001. Fossett is near lifting off for his sixth attempt to complete the first solo circumnavigation of the Earth. [Reuters] The giant high-altitude balloon, bathed in the deserts golden morning light, drifted slowly into the sky above Northam, a small mining town 100 km (62 miles) east of Perth, just after 7.00 a.m. (2300 GMT). Fossett had delayed inflating the aircraft for six and a half hours due to unfavourable winds, but with time running out before the arrival of the mornings hot thermals, he gave the order to fill the balloon with helium for a dawn launch. Fossett waved to around 100 townsfolk as he entered the capsule for an eastward circumnavigation that he expects will take 15 days. "I am a bit nervous about the first night," Fossett said before take-off. "On the first night I will find out if everything works, if there are any leaks in the balloon, if there are any failures in communications and if the all-important heating works," he said. The millionaire former stockbroker has made a series of failed attempts to fly solo in a balloon around the world. The last attempt to inflate the giant balloon for a launch on June 17 from the Australian gold mining town of Kalgoorlie ended in disaster when a freak wind tore it apart. Fossetts fourth solo bid ended in near disaster in 1998, when a thunderstorm off Australias northeastern coast shredded his canopy and sent him plummeting 29,000 feet (9,000 metres) into the Coral Sea. He was unhurt. This year Fossett, 57, decided to launch in western Australia, some 600 km (400 miles) from the Indian Ocean, to have a better chance of avoiding thunderstorms in the South Pacific and gain time to detect problems while still over land. 美国探险家史蒂夫-福塞8月5日在澳大利亚西部的沙漠中启动了他的热气球，开始了他若干次只身驾驶热气球环游世界失败后的又一次尝试。 早晨7点，沐浴在清晨沙漠金色的阳光下，福塞的这只巨大的高空热气球缓缓升入诺瑟姆镇上空。诺瑟姆是一个位于珀斯东部约100公里的产煤的小镇。 由于当天风向并不如人意，福塞将点火的时间推迟了6个半小时。不过他还是在早晨7点钟下令给气球充上氦气，赶在上午的沙漠热浪到来之前启程了。 福塞在进入热气球舱时，向周围近百名的小镇居民挥手致意，踏上了向东环游世界的征程。这次旅行预计将花费15天的时间。 在气球起飞之前，福塞说："想到今天晚上，我还是有一点紧张的。因为今天晚上是我升空的第一个夜晚，我将检查一切设备是否工作正常，气球上是否有漏洞，通讯是否正常，以及最最重要的制热系统是否正常。" 这位百万富翁曾是一位股票经纪人，他多次尝试只身乘热气球环球旅行，但都以失败而告终。 福塞上一次尝试是今年6月17日在澳大利亚一个盛产金子的城镇--卡尔吉利进行的。但是当时的一阵怪风将气球撕裂，他的这次尝试成了一次事故。 福塞的第四次尝试是在1998年，当时来自澳大利亚东北海岸的一场风暴撕裂了气球的罩蓬，结果他从29000英尺（9000米）的高空垂直掉进了太平洋的珊瑚海，万幸的是他并没有受伤，这次失败的尝试差点成了一次灾难。 现年57岁的福塞这次决定在距印度洋约600公里的澳大利亚西部点火，是为了尽量避免遇上来自南太平洋的暴风雨，也使得热气球还在陆地上空飞行时，他可以有时间对热气球进行检修。
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