Around the world in 18 days--that's Steve Fossett's goal! Last week Fossett, 52, took off from St. Louis, Missouri, in Solo Spirit, a helium and hot-air balloon. The millionaire adventurer is on a quest to be the first person to circle the earth nonstop in a balloon--one of the last unclaimed records in aviation. Two other balloon teams attempted such a trip this month but failed.
The fate of Fossett's silvery balloon is blowing in the wind. He had hoped to travel across Europe, but a shift in wind direction forced him to change his course. When Fossett headed across Northern Africa, he hit another snag. Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's ruler, refused to give the balloonist permission to fly over Libya. At week's end Fossett was heading south and looking for a strong wind.