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CNN Live At Daybreak

Balloonist Steve Fossett Aborts Trip Around the World

Aired August 17, 2001 - 08:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: As we have been telling you here, millionaire Steve Fossett, who has been trying to go around the world in his balloon by himself, put a stop to that this morning -- just a short time ago decided that he has got to put that balloon hopefully on land. Because he just doesn't have enough fuel, oxygen -- all of the things he needs to get out across the South Atlantic.

Allison Tom is here now to show us how you can actually follow his trip right along with him on the Web site, and I guess possibly even as he comes down. We'll get some information out of here as well.

ALLISON TOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are following that real closely, Colleen. And we're hoping that we'll see some of the developments as they do safely land this trip -- this journey.

But on his Web site, which you can see here -- it's SoloSpirit. And again, this is with the Washington University of St. Louis. They have their Web site here. They have been detailing all of the information that has been happening in some of what they call a mission log. It's a lot like a diary. These are written by some of his staff and his team that have been following him very closely. Some of them have been quotes from himself.

As we see this morning just recently, it was updated showing that the flight is now going to be abandoned, because of the bad weather and some of the problems that you mentioned.

This is a map. It's available on this site, showing the beginnings to where he was from Australia to where he is now and hopefully where he'll be landing shortly. So this is where a lot of people on line have been following his trials and where -- what's been happening. He has been detailing this and updating it about four or five times a day.

(CROSSTALK)

MCEDWARDS: ... you can do in terms of accessing it. And I'm wondering how -- like how much information is there about the technology and what kinds of communications -- what kinds of technology are they going to use to get that balloon down? Because it is huge. This is tricky.

TOM: It is. They are very carefully communicating with him. And we don't have all of the specifics as to what kinds of things they're going to use to get him down. But what he is using is a satellite e-mail. He has got a laptop camera on deck. And what he is using with that is he is communicating with his team back at mission control, so that they can see where he is, how he is doing.

They also have a global positioning system and also known as GPS. And that really details where he is going -- the longitude, the latitude. We can tell about the winds and can really help guide him down. So hopefully, that will be a good way to walk him down safely.

MCEDWARDS: Do you know how popular this stuff has been? I mean, have people really been checking in with him and following him along?

TOM: Yes. There have been thousands of different hits on this site, where people are going to follow along. They want to find out how he is doing and reading the logs. Again, some of these are not personally written by him, but they are quotes from it, and just following the updates with the team. It's a real good way for people to get the fast and reliable, interesting information.

MCEDWARDS: All right. Allison, thank so much for bringing to our attention -- appreciate it.

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