Meissner Effect

I've been reading about the Meissner Effect produced by superconducting
materials. As I understand the phenomenom, a magnet will remain
suspended (levitated) over a disk of superconducting material due to
the generation of a "mirror image" of the magnet's magnetic field in
the superconductor and it will remain in place (it won't slide off to
one side or the other) due to "flux pinning" - something which I only
vaguely understand.

I'm wondering if the opposite effect also applies - that is, would a
superconductor remain suspended in a magnetic field? I'm sure you all
see where I'm going with this, and I'm sure I'm not the first to
speculate about the space launch possibilities this effect might
provide. I'm also sure there are very good reasons why this effect is
impractical or impossible to use for spacecraft levitation. If this
were not so someone would already be doing it.

So, at the risk of sounding really dumb, I'd like to invite anyone's
comments on the possibility that a spacecraft could be encased in a
film of supercooled superconducting material and "launched" at the
magnetic North pole somewhere in Canada. Would it just levitate itself
a few inches off the ground? Would anything happen at all?

Chris