"That" is Martin's ride to the heavens—a handcrafted gondola that will be suspended beneath a helium-filled bag 40 stories tall and 600 times the size of a conventional balloon. Manned by Martin; John Wallington, 43, a professional balloonist from Canberra, Australia, and Dave Liniger, 53, co-founder of the Denver-based Re/Max real estate firm, the balloon will be launched in late December in Alice Springs, Australia, rise to 130,000 feet and catch the westward stratospheric winds.
If all goes well, the craft will take 16 to 18 days to become the first manned balloon to circle the globe. "There seems to be something in the human spirit," says Liniger, who funded much of the $2 million or so in cash, goods and services needed for the project, "that strives to be faster, better and higher."
Clearly, plenty of visionaries—some say fools—have dreamed of circumnavigating the globe slung under a massive sack of gas. In August millionaire businessman Steve Fossett's quest ended off Australia, some 7,000 miles short of his goal. And at least three projects are in the works, including one in the next few weeks by Virgin mega-ego Richard Branson. But, say Martin and his crewmates, their mission will be different.
Nearly 25 miles above the Earth (most would-be circumnavigators travel at 5 to 6 miles up), the trio will approach the edge of outer space, far above the unpredictable weather patterns that have undone so many missions. On the downside, temperatures outside their pressurized capsule—built in Albuquerque with the help of volunteer engineers and donated scientific equipment—will fluctuate between-70° and 200°F. The men will wear protective pressure suits during the ascent and descent in case the capsule loses pressure. Should the capsule rapidly decompress at cruising altitude, the blood in their veins would boil within seconds. "Our lives depend on how well it's built," says Martin.
All three men have had their heads in the clouds for years. A sci-fi buff from Socorro, N.Mex., Martin took flying lessons before he owned a car. He worked as a skydiver at stunt-car races before buying a helicopter, taking lessons and becoming a TV reporter. Martin, who is single, was inspired to take on his current project after covering a story about the use of balloons in atmospheric tests.
Wallington, the son of a meteorologist, was an importer before catching the balloon bug on his first ride in 1984. Within a year, the future Australian balloon-racing champ had started his own commercial flying business—and met his wife, Christie Birkett, now 45, on a flight. Liniger, married to Gail, 53, and a father of four from Castle Rock, Colo., served in Vietnam with the Air Force. A longtime amateur pilot, he researched a solo round-the-world balloon trip for 11 years. "I don't care about the records," says Liniger, who joined Martin's project last spring. "I do it for the spirit of adventure."
The key to the trio's success might be in keeping up that spirit while crammed into a tiny capsule for two weeks. "There's going to be tensions," says Robert Hull, the project's chief engineer, "but you just have to get through it. It's not like you can get up and go anywhere."
Michael Haederle in Albuquerque
VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE
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After Jaycee Dugard's rescue, a look at the cases of six young people who went missing in 2009
