WITH tailors from Russia and a diet of white bread and rice, a Malvern defence agency is making sure two intrepid adventurers have just the right recipe to take a hot air balloon to the edge of space.

Commercial balloon pilots Andy Elson and Colin Prescot are being sponsored by QinetiQ in an attempt to break the world balloon altitude record by reaching a staggering 25 miles.

The duo failed in last year's bid, as launch conditions were unsuitable. Preparations for this year's attempt, between June and September have not stopped since.

Both have been suited and booted with the latest spacesuits by Russian manufacturers to help tackle temperatures as low as minus 70 degrees Celsius.

While a special low fibre diet - to reduce the need for toilet trips - will be used three days prior to take-off.

If the attempt is successful, the helium filled balloon, around 400 times the size of a normal hot-air balloon, will reach the highest altitude ever recorded - 132,000 feet, into the stratosphere. The current record is held by the USA at 113,740 feet and has stood since 1961.

QinetiQ, which is the larger part of the former Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and carries out the bulk of the MoD's non-nuclear research is financing the multi-million pound project.

"One of the aims will be to test out solar panels high in the stratosphere, future aircraft could travel at high or extreme altitude, so this is one of many areas we'll be studying," said Stephen Cooke, media relations manager.

Using a giant "fly swat", a sticky grabbing device to snare passing micro meteorites will be another experiment if the 12-hour mission is successful.

The two pilots have already set the world endurance record for any aircraft in the Earth's atmosphere, when they flew from Spain to the Pacific in 17 days, 18 hours and 25 minutes as part of their around-the-world attempt.