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