There is an astonishing reminder early on in director John Dower’s spirited documentary, “The Balloonists,” a crowd-pleaser for Jules Verne fans and adventure lovers alike. There are only 66 short years between 1903, when the Wright Brothers flew the world’s first airplane, and 1969, when mankind landed on the moon. Considering the lightning speed of technological advancements in the skies, one would think there wasn’t another triumph left to pursue on the aviation front, at least on this side of the atmosphere. That realization certainly crossed the mind of Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard when he was an impassioned kid, the kind (in his words) who would only be moved
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