THE SCINTILLATION PREDICTION OBSERVATIONS RESEARCH TASK (SPORT) WILL MAKE PROGRESS ON THE VERY COMPELLING BUT DIFFICULT PROBLEM OF UNDERSTANDING PRECONDITIONS LEADING TO EQUATORIAL PLASMA BUBBLES. THESE IONOSPHERIC STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED FOR DECADES. THEY ARE THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF RADAR REFLECTIONS IN THE EQUATORIAL F-REGION IONOSPHERE AND CAUSE STRONG SCINTILLATIONS ON RADIO SIGNALS PASSING THROUGH THEM. THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BACKGROUND IONOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AND THE IRREGULARITY REGIONS WHICH MAY INFLUENCE THEIR GROWTH TO HIGH ALTITUDES ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. SPORT WILL ADDRESS TWO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE PHENOMENA: (1) WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE IONOSPHERE THAT GIVES RISE TO THE GROWTH OF PLASMA BUBBLES THAT EXTEND INTO AND ABOVE THE F-PEAK AT DIFFERENT LONGITUDES? (2) HOW ARE PLASMA IRREGULARITIES AT SATELLITE ALTITUDES RELATED TO THE RADIO SCINTILLATIONS OBSERVED PASSING THROUGH THESE REGIONS?