WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.000 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:06.000 Music 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:10.000 George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: NASA technology is at the heart of a system being developed to 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:16.000 save lives in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Leak detectors are used at space shuttle launch 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:23.000 pads to warn workers of invisible dangers. A mobile unit developed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:30.000 Florida could soon warn those living near a volcano of unseen threats. However, designers didn't intend to 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.000 make a volcano monitor when they set out to miniaturize the gas detection system used for the shuttle. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:39.000 Tim Griffin/Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: A couple of us from Kennedy went out to a 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:45.000 conference, and we presented our data and some information that we were doing for stuff for the pad 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:51.000 work. And while we were there, a professor from the University of Costa Rica presented some, an 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:57.000 instrument that he was trying to work on in order to monitor for gases. And we said, 'Wow, there's a lot of 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:59.000 similarities there.' 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.000 George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: Working with Costa Rica's scientific program, Griffin and his team 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:07.000 modified their leak detector to specialize in volcano research. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:11.000 Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: Embedded computer and everything we've chosen is 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:17.000 much smaller. And this is also a more autonomous system. On the launch pad, because it's launch critical, and 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:28.000 you make decisions that are life or death, we have humans intervene in it. And this one is just archiving data and things. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:31.000 George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: It was small enough to be carried in a variety of vehicles to 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:35.000 effectively sample the air around the Costa Rican mountains. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:39.000 Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: We've put it onto three different aircraft, we've 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:42.000 carried it by hand into the craters of volcanoes. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:46.000 George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: The detector incorporates a number of innovations from Griffin's team. 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:49.000 Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: So you can see, there's a pump here, there's a pump 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:53.000 here and there's another pump in the back. So you can see when we talked about needing to make the 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:59.000 pumps a little bit smaller and less power consumption why that's one of the big keys. 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:02.000 George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: Griffin's team aims to create more innovations, allowing many of 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:07.000 the mobile detectors to be strategically based around the world. That way, they can be carried by plane to an 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:16.000 active cone for study, leading to potential warnings. With multiple surveys done over time and covering 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:23.000 many volcanoes, Griffin said there's a better chance of specialists being able to make accurate predictions. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:26.000 Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: The information is still a little, from a volcanologist's 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:34.000 standpoint, is still real tough to interpret because there's not enough data worldwide and history base to 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:37.000 know for sure exactly what's going on. 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:41.000 George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: For as much work and progress Griffin's group has made, he 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:44.000 considers the field very young, with lots of potential. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.000 Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: Well, hopefully, the long-term idea of this is that we 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:54.000 would be able to help characterize the volcanoes better. And then as, if a volcano becomes more active, 00:02:54.000 --> 00:03:00.000 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 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.000 eruption or maybe gases coming out. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:07.000 George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer: Griffin's team still is working with the test unit and they expect 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:11.000 several more improvements before their ultimate goal is met. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:15.000 Tim Griffin/ Kennedy Chemical Analysis Branch Chief: Well the ultimate goal is a ways away because we 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:22.000 need to make some major groundbreaking technologies. But to be able to get this, to be able to field it, what 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:28.000 would be a useful, very useful thing, we're only a few years away from that, maybe.