Student Site: Grades 5-8

Space Station Alpha
Student Site: Grades 5-8

Team Prep: Crisis Management

Mission Day Instructions

Overview

The environment of Space Station Alpha is constantly being monitored for quality, comfort and safety so that the crew is living and working in the best conditions possible. Any sudden change in one area, no matter how small, will certainly impact other areas in the station as well. Especially in times of crisis, it is important to keep in mind how the space station functions like a body and that all of the systems on board are interrelated.

The role of the Crisis Management Specialists is to communicate with the other teams’ specialists in the event of a crisis. You will also need to keep the entire group informed regarding the location of the crew and what they are doing. You must choose the most urgent issues that need to be taken care of and which ones can wait. Please keep in mind the unique environment of the Space Station and that any changes are certain to impact other team’s operations.

Your Task

First, two members of the Crisis Management team will be a part of one of the other mission teams, i.e. Life Support or Radiation. It is important that you have a solid understanding of how calculations are done with that team’s data and how to accurately graph it. You will be the specialist to take that team's concerns and recommendations to the Crisis Management Team for discussion.

Second, your recommendations will be based on the data that is coming in from the individual teams. You should have a firm understanding of what the numbers actually mean and how to read the graphs. Read and study your team's reference guide thoroughly.

To do their job effectively, the Crisis Management Team should be able to answer the following questions: