A critical delay keeps a de-oiled, cold-proof clock from reaching the field in time, and Conway launches with a standard clock that soon freezes. As he climbs into the stratosphere, oxygen dwindles, paralysis creeps over his body, and the stopped clock robs him of his timing. At the peak, near death, he manages to trigger the rip-cord, causing a disastrous deflation; the balloon fails to parachute properly and plummets. Regaining just enough awareness near the ground, he bails out under his own parachute and survives. Rescued by Kisner and a chastened Welkfurn, he later reflects on the razor’s edge of his success—both the new record and his life saved by a last-moment escape. (This is an automatically generated summary.)