| Beaming data to the moon-it sounds | | | | Freeman, he assures the world that rebuilding |
| intriguing, but is it really the answer to | | | | the economy is possible. The companies that |
| offsite backup? | | | | had invested in TransOrbital by sending their |
| | | | backup data to the moon could fly past their |
| Dozens of businesses were unable to recover | | | | competitors and reshape the new world. By |
| from 9/11. Having all of their files and | | | | retrieving data stored safely in space, these |
| backup data in one location added incredible | | | | companies redefine the Fortune 500 and become |
| economic damage to the already tragic losses | | | | the new leaders in the global economy. |
| of life. Should businesses anticipate a | | | | |
| graver disaster than that of the World Trade | | | | Sound a bit hokey? That's the claim |
| Center? | | | | TransOrbital makes in a recent PC Magazine |
| | | | article. |
| Jumping forward ten, maybe twenty, years... | | | | |
| | | | Laurie said, "September 11 caused people to |
| North Korea's nuclear arsenal builds to an | | | | think about what data backup really means, |
| astounding 50,000 warheads (more than the | | | | and there is also always the threat of a |
| USSR at the peak of the Cold War), the ozone | | | | natural disaster here on earth, such as a |
| hole exceeds 15 million square miles, and the | | | | small asteroid hitting the planet." |
| war on terror wages on. Nevertheless, it's | | | | |
| business-as-usual back in the good old US of | | | | Would it really work-data centers on the |
| A. Investments grow, as does the price of | | | | moon? The plan is to build server-friendly |
| gasoline and real estate. Cures for | | | | environments that could provide the |
| would-be-lethal diseases are on the brink of | | | | "atmosphere" necessary for self-healing |
| discovery, and space travel is available to | | | | servers. Small shelter-like structures that |
| anyone willing to pay. | | | | could keep a normal temperature, air |
| | | | pressure, etc. need to be built on the moon; |
| Nobody saw it coming. Or more precisely, no | | | | currently, Tran Orbital is the only company |
| one believed it would really happen. | | | | with the licensing to do it. |
| Astronomers warned of the day the asteroid | | | | |
| would come. And it does. | | | | While they're up there, TransOrbital, using |
| | | | Hewlett-Packard technology, plans to make |
| Barreling through space at unheard-of speeds, | | | | live digital images of the earth available on |
| the asteroid, aptly named "the end of days," | | | | the web. They also offer to ship personal |
| smashes against the earth like a 400 billion | | | | objects to the moon for safe-keeping for a |
| ton hammer. Hundreds of thousands of lives | | | | small fee of $2500 per gram. |
| are lost almost immediately. Dust and ash | | | | |
| spread across the sky, and the earth whimpers | | | | The proposal certainly has its fair share of |
| as if the wind were knocked out of her. Over | | | | skeptics. The biggest argument being that the |
| the coming months, the damage is addressed by | | | | likelihood of an asteroid hitting the earth |
| the Red Cross like a troupe of girl scouts | | | | is miniscule compared to one hitting the |
| servicing the Normandy invasion. The economy | | | | moon. Earth's atmosphere burns up most of the |
| is in shambles as consumer confidence falls | | | | debris that would otherwise hit the surface, |
| through the floor...and then the basement. | | | | while the moon has no such protection. Others |
| | | | wonder about upgrading, repairs, and |
| Out of the smoke comes Dennis Laurie, CEO of | | | | maintenance. As one reader put it, "At 75$ an |
| TransOrbital. In a speech matched only by Sir | | | | hour and 30 cents per mile, that's one hefty |
| Winston Churchill, or maybe even Morgan | | | | bill from tech support. |