Balloon adventurer is flying high

American balloonist Steve Fossett said today his quest to circle the globe is going better than his five previous tries, despite losing contact with mission control for five hours earlier in the trip.

‘‘Joe, this is going the best of any of my flights the capsule and the balloon systems are working superbly,’’ Fossett early today by e-mail to Joe Ritchie, chief of mission control in St Louis.

‘‘I got nearly three hours sleep last night, and I am feeling good.’’

At 0200 Irish time, about 26 hours since its launch from Western Australia, the Chicago millionaire’s Solo Spirit balloon had gone more than 800 miles and was cruising eastward at 46 mph at an altitude of 22,500 feet above southern Australia.

Hours into the flight, 57-year-old Fossett lost telephone and e-mail contact with mission control at Washington University and had to climb outside his 5 1/2 by seven foot capsule to replace a broken antenna and switch to a laptop computer.

It is Fossett’s sixth attempt to circle the globe via balloon, including a failed bid he made in 1998 with Sir Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand of Sweden.

If successful, his trip around the world should take about 15 days.

A two-man team has flown a balloon around the world. Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard and English balloon instructor Brian Jones teamed up in March 1999 to ride the Breitling Orbiter balloon around the globe.