As doubts grew over whether US adventurer Steve Fossett would complete his most recent bid to become the first balloonist to circle the globe, attention turned to the next challenger, Dick Rutan.
Today Rutan will take off from Albuquerque, New Mexico, even as Fossett and his crew try to salvage their flight, beset by technical problems and adverse winds.
A subdued official with Fossett's mission said on Sunday that technical problems and the failure to exploit favourable southern winds could force an end to the quest.
'He got himself into a trough where light winds prevented him from reaching the sub-tropical jet stream needed to proceed quickly in an easterly direction,' mission director Alan Blount said.
Blount said it was 'relatively unlikely' that Fossett would complete his round-the-world bid.
Fossett's team charted a risky course they hoped would bypass depressions and anti-cyclones. They rode the edge of a polar jet stream to attain a top speed of about 220 km/h and crossed the Atlantic in what was probably record time.
