Melissa was one of the strongest storms on record. NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters flew into it without pay

By Andrew Freedman, CNN (CNN) — Tossed and battered by violent wind and severe turbulence, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunters have spent the past week diving into the eye of Melissa — a storm of historic ferocity — to gather life-saving data. They have done it around the clock, 24/7, because their