WEBVTT

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I always really liked applied things. How
am I gonna use this research that I'm doing?

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My name is Gary Ruff and I get to start large fires on spacecraft.

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Before coming to NASA I was a college professor. Some of the research that I did was in

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microgravity combustion. A position opened up to light big fires in space and I had to come.

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One of my newest hobbies is having a saltwater aquarium.

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I'm not going to get a fire in a saltwater
aquarium, but it is a self-contained environment.

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In a ways, it's a lot like an environmental control and life support system on a spacecraft.

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But one of the other things that you frequently do to

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keep an aquarium clean is dilute the
water -- add new water.  You can't always be

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adding new air on a spacecraft. You want
to be able to recycle a lot more.

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That really makes the problem a lot more
difficult. It's fun being able to

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continue doing research in your area
that you know that you've really

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spent a career doing and continuing to do that for NASA

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in something where you know there's going
to be an impact in the future.

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