It's the charming fantasy of Jules Verne - for most of us. But for a few diehard daredevils, it's "the last great challenge in aviation": to fly a balloon non-stop around the world (in 20 days or so) - simply because it's... more » never been done before. Are these guys full of hot air? Follow one of the foremost teams - a self-made British billionaire (Richard Branson, upstart head of Virgin Atlantic Airways), a Swedish balloon designer (Per Lindstrand), and a British skydiving champion (Rory McCarthy) - in a hair-raising race against hot competition to build a balloon that can circle the globe. The plan: to hitch a ride on the high-altitude jet stream, a daring feat that can be accomplished only inside a pressurized cabin and within a narrow window of time. Trail the fearless trio as they train for a crash landing in the ocean or for sky-diving from 35,000 feet up (and 70 degrees below). Watch them tackle uncooperative weather, untested equipment, and overstrained budgets, not to mention some countries along the route who are threatening to (quite literally) burst their balloon.« less