Ultimate Flight is under way

Steve Fossett and the GlobalFlyer are angling out across the Atlantic Ocean after a picturesque dawn takeoff from the shuttle runway at the Kennedy Space Center.

The plane needed almost all of the three-mile long shuttle landing strip to get up to speed, and that was one of the reasons they chose KSC for the flight. Our Chris Kridler, who was positioned with photographers at the far end of the runway, says that Fossett came very close to the end of the runway before getting airborne.

Fossett now has 80 or more hours to spend in the cramped confines of the GlobalFlyer cockpit, subsisting on strawberry diet milkshakes and five-minute catnaps. He'll try to take advantage of the global jetstream to get as much fuel efficiency as possible on the 26,000-plus mile mission. There will be no refueling.

Fossett's trip will take him around the world once, passing over Florida a second time before crossing the Atlantic Ocean again and landing in London. Stay with us throughout the flight for updates on Fossett's condition and location, as they are available from GlobalFlyer mission control.