63 Years Old Solo Balloonist Reaches North Pole

Jean-Louis Etienne has made the first solo balloon voyage to the North Pole, traveling 3,130 kilometers - 1,945 miles - in five days from Norway to the tundra of eastern Siberia.

Jean-Louis Etienne has always liked rising to new challenges, especially when they combine adventure and scientific objectives. Adventures are the stuff that dreams are made of. They reveal a new way of looking at things, especially to young people, and can be a very effective means to convey scientific knowledge that in other forms sometimes falls on unreceptive ears.

Jean-Louis Etienne admits quite openly that he is not a researcher, he is just a traveller and explorer who, from one expedition to the next, has managed to gain the confidence of and forge ties with the scientific community.

The 63-year-old radioed his team after landing Saturday, expressing relief "because there were difficult moments and I was starting to lose sleep." The landing had been set for Alaska, but Etienne had to change course after a snowstorm Wednesday near the North Pole hindered the recharging of batteries via solar panels.


Polar balloon flying over Siberia

Etienne measured the atmosphere for C02 during his trip and did other tests.

Jean-Louis Etienne is an Arctic and Antarctic explorer.  Amongst his many adventures and achievements, in 1986 he became the first person to walk to the North Pole alone.  He is now the first person to fly a balloon solo to the North Pole.

Jean-Louis Etienne is trying to raise awareness of the effects of global warming on the polar ice, and the potential impacts for humanity.  He has set up a petition on his website.

Saving the sea ice is of great importance, and every inhabitant of our planet has a responsibility to take action. Saving the sea ice can be an indicator of Mankind’s ability to curb greenhouse gas emissions on a world scale.

France played a key role in bringing about the moratorium that currently ensures the protection of the Antarctic zone. It is my wish that France, which today holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, sends a strong signal to the international community, by urging the General Assembly of the United Nations to pass a resolution declaring the Arctic Ocean a “zone of common interest for all humanity”.

This is an important and non-partisan political initiative that will commit the international community without infringing the sovereignty of any country around the polar rim.

If you would like to express support for this initiative, we invite you to sign our on-line petition.

http://www.jeanlouisetienne.com/EN/

His Polar Encyclopedia is an excellent resource:

http://www.jeanlouisetienne.com/EN/encyclopedie.cfm