Only Fossett is flying solo on the estimated two to three week trip. In addition, three other teams have announced their plans to join the race, including a team who will make their attempt from Australia, ascending to an altitude of 130,000 feet.
ALS is a fatal disease: Most ALS patients die within two to five years of diagnosis. Common causes of death are respiratory failure and/or cardiac problems related to insufficient oxygen. Patients may also suffer respiratory infections, such as pneumonia.
ALS ravages nerves in the brain and spine. The neurons that transmit impulses from the brain to the muscles atrophy and die. No one knows the cause of the disease and some 90 percent of people with ALS have no family history of it. Most devastating of all, there is no cure.