Balloonist Is in Good Condition

His round-the-world ambitions dashed again, adventurer Steve Fossett was safe and in good condition after surviving a 29,000-foot plunge into the sea after his balloon ripped in a thunderstorm. The Chicago millionaire was rescued by a yacht that plucked him from an area of uncharted reefs in the Coral Sea, 500 miles off Australia’s east coast. He had traveled 15,200 miles--completing two-thirds of his planned journey--when he was sucked into a storm that pummeled his balloon with sheets of hail. Fossett was in good spirits aboard the 60-foot sailboat Atlanta, spokeswoman Judy Jasper said from Fossett’s flight operation headquarters in St. Louis.