On September 4, 1996, the most dangerous place to be in the world was the island of Montserrat. The volcano which had given birth to this Caribbean paradise was now threatening to destroy it. For several months the island's residents had been anticipating a potentially catastrophic eruption and had begun the evacuation process. Little did they expect that the tropical storm brewing 400 miles away would head in their direction, developing into a full-blown hurricane.

Student Activities:
Students prepare for 4 weeks prior to mission day. First they select an area of expertise. They must decide which facet of Earth system science interests them: the biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere or hydrosphere. Then they are assigned to an emergency response team (ERT) and fill out a team application, complete with resumes. In the following weeks, they engage in preparatory activities in which they collect data about emergency events, analyze the data, and learn to make logical recommendations based upon scientific analysis.

On mission day, students join one of four crisis management teams and use their science knowledge and math skills to avert possible disaster. Eight thousand residents' lives are in the balance. In a two-hour period, volcano teams and hurricane teams rally to analyze the data and determine the risks to the people of the island. The data is presented to the evacuation team, which then determines a plan of action for saving the islanders.

Teams:
Communications: Communicates all verbal and written communications between Mission Control and the other teams

Volcano: Downloads and analyzes seismic data from a satellite; make predictions of volcano activity and forwards to other teams

Hurricane: Downloads data on the hurricane location and intensity. Tracks path and speed and predicts the impact upon the island. Forwards predictions to the other teams

Evacuation: Researches the Island of Montserrat in preparation for the threatening volcano and hurricane. Determines what evacuation procedures to relay to the island via Communications and Mission Control

Find out about Challenger's Role in e-Mission: Operation Montserrat!