1.   Balloons still have the advantage that they could stay aloft for weeks at a time, compared with at most a few hours for a plane.

2.   A team spokesman said on Wednesday that that the latest complication was a storm over a region of India through which the balloon would have to fly.

3.   But by Sunday, after six days in the air, the balloon had only about a two-day supply left.

4.   By contrast, the spherical decoy balloons have more uniform signatures.

5.   Hot-air balloons definitely had drawbacks, not the least being keeping the air hot.

6.   If even a tiny fraction of these encounters proves harmful, the balloons could have a serious impact on endangered species of great whales.

7.   If even a tiny fraction of these encounters prove harmful, the balloons could have a serious impact on endangered species of great whales.

8.   In terms of people per cubic foot of space, the balloon has about as much room as the space shuttle, Golden says.

9.   No one knows what effect the balloons might have on the whales.

10.   The balloon also had to carefully thread its way around the borders of Iran and Russia, which denied it overflight permission.