[NormsRevenge]

Indian millionaire Vijaypat Singhania takes off in a hot air balloon in Bombay, India, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005. Singhania broke the previous world record by hitting 21,000 meters (69,000 feet) a little more than two hours after taking off in his 40-ton (44-U.S. ton) balloon. Seen in the foreground is an Indian flag. (AP Photo/Rajesh Nirgude)

[Meadow Muffin]

Think we could get Kerry, Pelosi, Reid and Kennedy to man the next one to see if it can continue to reach higher and higher and never come back?

[ASOC]

""This goes to show to the world that we are not bullock cart drivers, but we can compete against the best of the world," the balloonist said.

"
Designed in the UK, likely as not most of it was built there as well. So, he is a well heeled (high tech) bullock cart driver?

I'll wait for him to jump at 70K and freefall for 5 min, then it'll be 'wow' time.

[CarrotAndStick]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1528804/posts

[struwwelpeter]

Altitude of the Highest Manned Balloon Flight The Physics Factbook™

Edited by Glenn Elert -- Written by his students An educational, Fair Use website

Bibliographic Entry Result
(w/surrounding text) Standardized Result

Piccard, Don. World Book Encyclopedia. USA: World Book, 1996. "1961, US Navy Officers Victor A. Prather, Jr and Malcolm Ross rose from a zero-pressure balloon at an altitude of 113,739.9 feet." 34,668 m

Crouch, Tom D. The Eagle Aloft: Two Centuries of the Balloon in America. Washington DC: Smithsonian, 1983. "May 4, 1961, M.D. Ross and V.C. Prather rose at the world record of 113,740 feet." 34,668 m

Perhaps it was just an Indian millionaire, bullock cart driver record?

[Oblongata]

And then there's Jospeh Kittinger who parachuted from a balloon at 102,800 feet in 1960. He actually is the only person ever to break the sound barrier without an aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger

[Oblongata]

Joseph Kittinger: