MILPITAS, Calif., Dec. 2, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SPOT LLC (www.findmespot.com), the pioneer behind the award-winning SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger, today announced it will provide location data tracking for pilots CarolAnn Garratt and Carol Foy as they embark on a historic flight around the world seeking to raise $1 million for research and treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," beginning on December 3, 2008.
The two women will take off from Orlando, Florida with intentions to fly around the world in seven days in a single-engine light aircraft and set a new world speed record. Supporters and fans will be able to track most of the global flight path and view history in the making through online tracking with the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger at www.alsworldflight.com.
"As SPOT provides reliable satellite communications coverage to almost our entire intended flight path, it is a select device to have on board the single engine Mooney M2OJ aircraft for not only flight path tracking but added safety during our adventure," said CarolAnn Garratt, pilot and volunteer for the Civil Air Patrol and the EAA Young Eagle Program. "We are excited to share much of our flight path with all of our supporters and patrons of our fundraising efforts for ALS."
The westbound flight will start in central Florida, near Orlando, and proceed across the U.S. and Pacific Ocean to Asia. From Thailand, it will continue across India, the Middle East, Africa, and finally across the Atlantic Ocean with a return to Orlando. Supporters will be able to use SPOT's tracking feature to follow the aircraft's flight path across North America, Asia, and North Africa, as well as the final leg across the Atlantic Ocean.
CarolAnn and Carol will fund their record breaking flight entirely from their own resources, ensuring 100% of donations go directly to finding a cure for ALS by supporting the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI). To learn more about ALS and ways to support this historic flight, visit www.alsworldflight.com.
About the ALS Therapy Development Institute
The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) www.als.net, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, operates the world's largest research and development program focused exclusively on ALS. The Institute has a staff of more than 30 scientists and research technicians, working on behalf of ALS patients to discover and advance therapeutics for treating, and ultimately curing, ALS. The nonprofit biotechnology institute excels in identifying novel disease targets, discovering compounds that may act against these targets, and screening potential treatments for clinical development.
About SPOT LLC.
The SPOT Satellite Messenger, the world's first satellite messenger, uses both the GPS satellite network to determine a customer's location and the SPOT network to transmit that information to friends, family or an emergency service center. SPOT LLC., a subsidiary of Globalstar, Inc. (Nasdaq:GSAT), provides lifesaving communications technology that allows users to communicate from remote locations around the globe. Thanks to this affordable, cutting-edge personal safety device, the company offers people peace of mind by allowing customers to notify friends and family of their location and status, and to send for emergency assistance in time of need, completely independent of cellular phone or wireless coverage. For more information on how SPOT LLC. is helping users live to tell about it(sm) -- from disaster preparedness to outdoor adventure purposes -- visit www.findmespot.com.
To download a high resolution picture of the SPOT Satellite Messenger please visit http://sales.findmespot.com/en/content.php?cid=23