Take a ride on a billboard in the sky

Operated by black-owned Atlas Balloon Company and built by Lindstrand Technologies, the world's largest manufacturer of manned, tethered aerostats, the Absa Balloon will be permanently tethered. Lindstrand balloons meet the aviation and safety standards of all countries in which they are operated - the steel rope securing the balloon has a breaking point ten times greater than the force exerted by the balloon.

Lindstrand Technologies, based in England, works closely with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Washington and with the European Space Agency in Holland. The company produced the largest ever hot air balloon (73 600 cubic metres) and the largest ever manned superpressure balloon. It is currently involved in developing a balloon that will allow the first ever sky dive from space - a sky diver will exit the balloon at 130 000 ft for a free fall to 15 000 ft where he will deploy his parachute.