The Last Great Adventure

Chronicling the twenty plus attempts of a dozen teams over the last ten years to be the first to circumvent the globe non-stop in a hot air balloon and claim a million dollar prize, The Last Great Adventure looks at the multimillion dollar engineering marvels, as well as the "made in the garage" variety. After the excitement of the launches (followed by the inevitable mishaps), three teams eventually emerge as front runners in the quest. Contestants include Steve Fossett, an American market trader from Chicago; Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard; and British billionaire Richard Branson. The winner (I won't reveal who) manages to accomplish the feat in just twenty days, somewhat faster than Jules Verne had imagined. Loaded with live video from inside the gondolas, the ground control centers, and scenery from outside the balloons, viewers get a breathtaking look at the world from the air and share in the excitement of the pilots and ground crew. Although a bit long at nearly three hours, this interesting look at those who strive to conquer the last frontiers would be of interest to adventurous viewers, and would also be useful in entry level technology and engineering courses where students could analyze what went wrong and why. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)