Around the World in 20 Days; The Story of Our History-Making Balloon Flight

New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1999. First Printing. Hardcover. Very good/very good. 25 cm. 306 pages. Illus. (some color), maps, appendix, technical terms, Inscribed on the half-title page to Dr. J. Dennis O'Connor signed by both authors. This may be the same O'Connor who joined the Smithsonian Institution in December 1995 as the Institution's first Provost. He was responsible for planning, integration and oversight of research, exhibitions, and education for the 16 museums and 6 research centers. Bertrand Piccard FRSGS (born 1 March 1958) is a Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist. Along with Brian Jones, he was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe, in a balloon named Breitling Orbiter 3. He was the initiator, chairman, and co-pilot, with André Borschberg, of Solar Impulse, the first successful round-the-world solar powered flight. Brian Jones (born 27 March 1947 in Bristol, England) is an English balloonist. Brian Jones, along with Bertrand Piccard, co-piloted the first successful uninterrupted circumnavigation of the world in the balloon Breitling Orbiter 3. Into the real thin air: The gripping story of the history-making around-the-world balloon flight as told by the pilots themselves. In this dramatic and inspiring account, adventurers Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, the pilots of the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon, tell the remarkable story of their record-breaking, first-ever around-the-world balloon flight in March 1999. During their 30,000-mile voyage, they faced many unexpected challenges and near-disasters, including a harrowing six-and-a-half-day trip across the Pacific when the balloon came dangerously close to plunging into the ocean. Using their logbook and journals, as well as photographs taken on-board, Piccard and Jones have brought their 20-day marathon flight vividly to life, capturing the emotion of their moments of high tension, as well as the humor and camaraderie that helped them persevere. This is the tale of a great adventure that shows how two very different characters forged a unique relationship during the greatest challenge of their lives.