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Sound a bit hokey? That’s
claim TransOrbital makes in a recent PC Magazine article. Laurie said, "September 11 caused people to think about what data backup really means, and there is also always threat of a natural disaster here on earth, such as a small asteroid hitting planet."
Would it really work—data centers on moon? The plan is to build server-friendly environments that could provide “atmosphere” necessary for self-healing servers. Small shelter-like structures that could keep a normal temperature, air pressure, etc. need to be built on moon; currently, Tran Orbital is only company with licensing to do it. While they’re up there, TransOrbital, using Hewlett-Packard technology, plans to make live digital images of earth available on web. They also offer to ship personal objects to moon for safe-keeping for a small fee of $2500 per gram.
The proposal certainly has its fair share of skeptics. The biggest argument being that likelihood of an asteroid hitting earth is miniscule compared to one hitting moon. Earth’s atmosphere burns up most of debris that would otherwise hit surface, while moon has no such protection. Others wonder about upgrading, repairs, and maintenance. As one reader put it, “At 75$ and hour and 30 cents per mile, that’s one hefty bill from tech support.”
Peter McFraser is a marketing representative of Exabyte, located in Boulder, Colorado. Learn more about how you can backup data with Exabyte’s award-winning VXA backup drive.
