The Challenge: Design permanent, manned, underwater research laboratories and to develop detailed research plans for the first six months of their operation.
Background: The task for students in Mission 2005 was to design permanent research stations in the ocean realm. Students focused on two ocean environments: the first situated on the Belize Barrier Reef Complex, the second longest barrier reef system in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the second situated on the Edmond Hydrothermal Vent Field at a depth of over 3000 meters in the central Indian Ocean.