General History

Ballooning was man’s first opportunity to get into the air.  The Montgolfier Brothers in France made the first manned flight in 1783 traveling 5 ˝ miles in 25 minutes.  Ballooning became popular as a sporting event and was even used in several wars.  It was used by the military for the observation of enemy troops and was used during the Franc-Prussian War in 1870 and by the Union Army during the Civil War.  With the advent of the airplane, ballooning became mainly for sport.  When every stunt and record was accomplished with airplanes, attention once again turned to ballooning.  A non-stop flight around the globe would become the “Last Great Sporting Adventure in the History of Flight”.

Personal History

Cameron Balloons in Bristol, England built this capsule in1998 in an attempt to be the first balloon to fly non-stop around the world and win a $1,000,000 prize sponsored by Anheuser Busch.  The balloon design is of the 'Rosier' type.  Helium lifting gas can be heated with propane burners to allow the pilots to control the ascent or descent of the balloon.  Since the trip could be expected to take up to 2 weeks, the balloon crew would experience temperature changes because of night and day.  It was critical that the pilots be able to control the balloons altitude so they could take advantage of the best winds.  At night, temperatures would cool the helium where it would naturally contract and the balloon would want to descend.  During the day, the solar heating would expand the gas and it naturally wanted to rise.  By allowing the sun to heat the gas during the day the propane burners could heat the gas at night to maintain the desired altitude.  By taking advantage of jet stream winds at altitudes between 24,000 to 43,000 feet, they could travel around the globe in as little as 10 days.  The crew of 3 would breath air produced from liquid oxygen and nitrogen.  Exhaled carbon dioxide would be removed from the capsule’s air through absorption of bilithium dioxide cartridges, while activated charcoal filters would maintain air quality.  There were 2 bunks for sleeping, keeping at least 1 of the crew awake to fly the balloon. 

Winds for favorable conditions in the Northern Hemisphere are during the winter months.  The 'Spirit of Peace' crew included noted gas balloonists Jacques Soukup, Chrispen Williams and Mark Sullivan.  By the 1998-1999 season, the Spirit of Peace was ready at its launch site in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Almost 30 long distance attempts were made by this time with some of the balloons sponsored by Steve Fossett, Barron Hilton and Richard Branson.  The furthest anyone had made it was about 65% around the world, some having forced landings in the oceans and deserts.  In February 1999, while anxiously awaiting for the jet stream to come south over Albuquerque and trying to obtain permission to fly over communist China, the Spirit of Peace crew watched as the Branson crew found favorable conditions and launched out of Morocco headed for China.  While trying to gain permission to fly over China in flight they finally crossed over China without it, only to have to ditch just off the Hawaii Islands.  As the season was winding down in Albuquerque, the Brietling Orbiter team launched from Switzerland.  After almost 20 days they became the first balloon to travel around the world when they touched down March 21, 1999 in Egypt.

It was unfortunate for the Spirit of Peace crew that the previous metrological studies did not consider that El Nino would have affected their weather patterns so severely.  After the Breitling Team won the race, Mrs. Weeks donated the capsule to the Weeks Air Museum.  Steve Fossett was not about to give up his dream of flying around the world.  He now wanted to become the first person to fly solo in a balloon around the world.  Steve purchased the Spirit of Peace envelope and used it on an unsuccessful attempt when he launched from Australia, headed eastbound and made it all the way to Brazil. Steve was finally successful on a later attempt several years later when he again took off from Australia and after 15 days in the air landed back in Australia on July 4, 2002. 

Kermit Comment

The Spirit of Peace was sponsored by my Mother, Rev. Marta Weeks, to promote “harmony, social justice and world peace.”