Teamwork is vital to successful missions. Over the years, NASA has had many successful missions, and a few that have failed. In regards to NASA's Mars missions, project manager Tim Flores (Ames Research Center) had this to say, "One fundamental element distinguished successful missions from the failed missions, and that element was teamwork," (ASK Magazine, issue 12).

Mr. Flores also had this to say, "Without a doubt, sound science and technical proficiency are crucial to a project. But an examination of the Mars missions tells us that we can't afford to overlook the relationships between the people doing the work."

To succeed in Operation Montserrat, you must form a team of people who are able to do two things well: 1) work together, and 2) work independently on team tasks. Working together will require listening, contributing to team discussions, sharing thoughts, communicating and attention to details. Working independently will be important because your team will be relying on you for certain tasks which only you will have to do. For instance, one of you must work with numbers while another works on the graph. You will both have to finish on time.