The International Space Station is not protected by the Earth's atmosphere and the astronauts aboard are in danger when the worst solar flare ever recorded occurs.

The 8th graders had the task of protecting the lives of these astronauts. The students spent weeks studying about the physics of the sun, solar flares and storms, biological effects of radiation, living in space and the water filtration system and equipment aboard the ISS. This hard work culminated in a space mission that was led via videoconferencing by Commander Tomme in Mission Control at the Challenger Learning Center in Colorado, USA. The Radiation Team had to continually calculate the radiation levels being generated by the solar storm. The Life Support Team calculated the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels aboard the space station. The power levels were monitored by the Crisis Management Team.

All three teams were required to work together in order to make recommendations to shield the astronauts from radiation, keep the life support systems in balance and ensure there was adequate power to make it through this solar storm. The Communication Team kept Mission Control informed about the status of the space station and any recommendations that the teams proposed. Students had a chance to consider the skills that were necessary in order to have a successful mission.

Charlotte stated, "We had to think on the spot and make a lot of decisions. When something went wrong, we had to find a solution. We had to use our knowledge and decide what the appropriate decision was. We had to combine math and science and had to think a lot about what we were doing."

"We definitely had to be thinkers. We had to know how to process data and to make recommendations about what course of action should be taken in a crisis,acknowledged Daniel.

Laura declared, "We had to be risk takers, because we had to step out of our comfort zones and try a variety of different procedures to help the astronauts survive. Sometimes we had to take each other's jobs and find other solutions to our problems, even some that would be quite risky."

Adam realized the importance of tolerance. "Having an open mind helped us to consider and listen to everybody's ideas. So we had many to choose from and many to consider." "During the mission, we had to constantly reflect on what we were doing. With this knowledge we could make changes to make our jobs go as smooth and simple as possible," contemplated Marisa.

All Grade 8's enjoyed the wonders of using modern video conferencing techniques to solve problems and connect with real experts in the field of space