Bertrand Piccard next adventure: Solar Flight around the world

In a hot air balloon, Dr Bertrand Piccard circled the world. He, and partner, Brian Jones, did this in twenty days in 1999. The trip broke records and was called the "last great adventure of the twentieth century." But that's not all.

What I found most interesting about Bertrand Piccard's TED Talk (below) is how Piccard expressed the adventure of the balloon flight as metaphor for his spirituality. The title of one of his lectures is called, Adventure is a state of mind: the metaphor of the first around-the-world balloon flight.

Bertrand had an interest in human potential before he embarked on the balloon flight. He was influenced by his mother's interest in philosophy and spirituality. He became a doctor specializing in psychiatry and psychotherapy. His father and grandfather were adventurers. His father reaching the deepest waters of the ocean and his grandfather being the first to reach the stratosphere in a balloon.

In this metaphor of life, the balloon is prisoner of the air currents, just as man is prisoner of his convictions, problems or fate. But in the same way as a balloon changes altitude to find the currents that will drive it in a new direction, man can rise professionally, psychologically, philosophically or even spiritually, to become responsible for the direction of his life.
- Bertrand Piccard

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But again, that's not all. On their return to earth, the two made a decision to give the prize money to start a foundation to help children in the poorest villages. Piccard and Jones, along with the foundation's partners, fund 100% of the conferences and administration of the foundation, so that all donations go to the work of the foundation called Winds of Hope.

And still that's not all. Piccard and co-pilot André Borschberg, and a 70 person team of scientists are building Solar Impulse, a craft to circle the earth solely on solar energy. Test flights may occur later in 2010.

Bertrand Piccard's page on TED1, or learn more about his work at his web site.2 Learn more about Winds of Hope.3, or Bertrand Piccard's book, Around the World in 20 Days 4, and have a look at the future of solar flight.5

A pioneer is the one who can throw overboard what is not needed anymore.
- Bertrand Piccard

1. 1. Bertrand Piccard's TED Talk page
2. 2. Bertrand Piccard web site
3. 3. Winds of Hope Foundation
4. 4. Around the World in 20 Days: The Story of Our History-Making Balloon Flight
5. 5. Solar Impulse - Around the World in a Solar Airplane"
   

   Since we cannot change the character of the human being, let us make an effort to adapt the way he functions. Let us try to give him a personal interest to get into the way of thinking in terms of sustainable development.