Wednesday, July 20, 2016

summer slump

Until I get motivated to get back to something FieldLabish...I'll just keep looking up.  Russian adventurist Fedor Konyukhov just passed the 3/4 mark in his world record attempt to circumnavigate the world in a Roziere balloon (an outer envelope of hot air combined with two interior bladders of helium).  Konyukhov just popped up again on FlightRadar24 this morning near Cape Town after crossing the South Atlantic. Although he is traveling at speeds up to 140mph, it feels calm to him since he is "blowing in the wind" - but it is chilly up there with daytime temperatures around 0° and nighttime temperatures going down to -18°.  With about 9,000 km to go, he might just shave a whole day off Fossett's record.  89,98,81,0,B

2 comments:

Dizzy-Dick said...

And tell me, what good will come out of all that effort???

John Wells said...

Perhaps if anything - it shows the world what is possible if you are committed to incredible personal achievement above and beyond what most of the population is even willing to consider in a society that constantly complains about how they are held back by imaginary forces beyond their control. Keep in mind, he was born and raised in a country that nowhere near provides the kinds of opportunity that America does...yet he has excelled. At 65 years old, Konyukhov has climbed Everest twice. He has sailed around the world solo multiple times. He has trekked to both poles. He has completed the Iditarod dog race. He has traveled the Great Silk Road by camel. He is also a painter, an author, and a Russian Orthodox priest.