1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:06,910 \h Music 2 00:00:06,910 --> 00:00:10,290 \h George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: NASA technology is at the heart of a system being developed to 3 00:00:10,290 --> 00:00:16,580 \h save lives in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Leak detectors are used at space shuttle launch 4 00:00:16,580 --> 00:00:23,000 \h pads to warn workers of invisible dangers. A mobile unit developed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in 5 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:30,590 \h Florida could soon warn those living near a volcano of unseen threats. However, designers didn't intend to 6 00:00:30,590 --> 00:00:37,050 \h make a volcano monitor when they set out to miniaturize the gas detection system used for the shuttle. 7 00:00:37,050 --> 00:00:39,980 \h Tim Griffin/Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: A couple of us from Kennedy went out to a 8 00:00:39,980 --> 00:00:45,600 \h conference, and we presented our data and some information that we were doing for stuff for the pad 9 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:51,600 \h work. And while we were there, a professor from the University of Costa Rica presented some, an 10 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:57,880 \h instrument that he was trying to work on in order to monitor for gases. And we said, 'Wow, there's a lot of 11 00:00:57,880 --> 00:00:59,490 \h similarities there.' 12 00:00:59,490 --> 00:01:03,540 \h George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: Working with Costa Rica's scientific program, Griffin and his team 13 00:01:03,540 --> 00:01:07,930 \h modified their leak detector to specialize in volcano research. 14 00:01:07,930 --> 00:01:11,420 \h Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: Embedded computer and everything we've chosen is 15 00:01:11,420 --> 00:01:17,970 \h much smaller. And this is also a more autonomous system. On the launch pad, because it's launch critical, and 16 00:01:17,970 --> 00:01:28,630 \h you make decisions that are life or death, we have humans intervene in it. And this one is just archiving data and things. 17 00:01:28,630 --> 00:01:31,730 \h George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: It was small enough to be carried in a variety of vehicles to 18 00:01:31,730 --> 00:01:35,880 \h effectively sample the air around the Costa Rican mountains. 19 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,890 \h Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: We've put it onto three different aircraft, we've 20 00:01:39,890 --> 00:01:42,430 \h carried it by hand into the craters of volcanoes. 21 00:01:42,430 --> 00:01:46,470 \h George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: The detector incorporates a number of innovations from Griffin's team. 22 00:01:46,470 --> 00:01:49,090 \h Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: So you can see, there's a pump here, there's a pump 23 00:01:49,090 --> 00:01:53,960 \h here and there's another pump in the back. So you can see when we talked about needing to make the 24 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:59,190 \h pumps a little bit smaller and less power consumption why that's one of the big keys. 25 00:01:59,190 --> 00:02:02,880 \h George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: Griffin's team aims to create more innovations, allowing many of 26 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:07,920 \h the mobile detectors to be strategically based around the world. That way, they can be carried by plane to an 27 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:16,360 \h active cone for study, leading to potential warnings. With multiple surveys done over time and covering 28 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:23,120 \h many volcanoes, Griffin said there's a better chance of specialists being able to make accurate predictions. 29 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,720 \h Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: The information is still a little, from a volcanologist's 30 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:34,090 \h standpoint, is still real tough to interpret because there's not enough data worldwide and history base to 31 00:02:34,090 --> 00:02:37,670 \h know for sure exactly what's going on. 32 00:02:37,670 --> 00:02:41,740 \h George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: For as much work and progress Griffin's group has made, he 33 00:02:41,740 --> 00:02:44,900 \h considers the field very young, with lots of potential. 34 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:47,580 \h Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: Well, hopefully, the long-term idea of this is that we 35 00:02:47,580 --> 00:02:54,160 \h would be able to help characterize the volcanoes better. And then as, if a volcano becomes more active, 36 00:02:54,160 --> 00:03:00,120 \h we'll be able to get a better idea of what's going on, how active it is, do we think it's going to be violent 37 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,310 \h eruption or maybe gases coming out. 38 00:03:04,310 --> 00:03:07,570 \h George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: Griffin's team still is working with the test unit and they expect 39 00:03:07,570 --> 00:03:11,080 \h several more improvements before their ultimate goal is met. 40 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,150 \h Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: Well the ultimate goal is a ways away because we