Dark and deadly,the hurricane roars above the Gulf of Mexico.Flooding coastlines andflattening homes,the storm will unleash more energy each hour than 20 atomic bombs.Yeteven as it rages,the Hurricane Hunters will take it on.Flying their aircraft through the cloudwall and into the eye of the storm,the daredevil team of researchers will take the pulse of thehurricane and determine its likely magnitude,probable course and estimated life-span.It's a risky business,hurricane hopping,but one of critical importance.More than any otherweather disaster——drought,hail or paralyzing blizzard——hurricanes pose an immediate threatto the lives of human beings.Forecasting them is one of the chief aims of a global effort to