After two failed launch attempts, the Earthwinds around-the-world balloon flight was canceled Saturday until November, organizers said.
Weather conditions were never just right to start the journey of the high-tech, hourglass-shaped twin balloons. Launch attempts early Saturday and on Feb. 14 were scrubbed because it was too windy, said project spokesman William G. Armstrong Jr.The three crew members of Earthwinds have been waiting for weeks to attempt the flight. The captain, airline pilot Larry Newman of Scottsdale, Ariz., said he was confident a launch was possible in November.
"We have spent more than three years putting this ambitious proj-ect together, utilizing some of the world's finest aerospace and aviation talents," he said. "I believe we have built a unique and remarkable flying machine."
Newman and his crew, Don Moses and Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov, needed near-calm conditions on the ground and the right trajectory to make the trip, expected to last from 12 to 21 days at an altitude of about 35,000 feet. It would be the first balloon to circle the world.
Earthwinds is made up of two balloons and a control cabin, or gondola. The football-shaped gondola is suspended between the upper and lower balloons. The upper balloon holds the helium that provides lift for the system. The lower balloon, full of compressed air, serves as ballast.
During the day, as the helium in the upper balloon is heated by sunlight, the gas expands, causing the balloon to rise. At night, when the gas cools, the balloon falls.
By modifying the amount of compressed air in the lower balloon, effectively making Earthwinds heavier or lighter, the pilot can control the up-and-down motion of the craft and keep it in the heart of winds needed to push it.
Conventional helium balloons vent excess gas during the day to prevent from rising too high. They dump ballast at night to prevent falling too far and can carry only a limited amount of ballast. Once the ballast is expended, the balloon must land.