RAID for Zero-G?

Cujo asks: "In all seriousness, I need a RAID that supports at least level 3 and stores > 500 GB, and I need to it work in zero-G (but not in a vacuum), and be able to take a fair bit of vibration and noise when turned off. I don't want to spend huge sums: I'm thinking well less than $50,000. I've looked at Apple's XServe/XRaid products, and they look great (about $10,000), but are they rugged enough and who is their competition? Some people make hardened RAIDs for military use, but I'm unfamiliar with the best candidates in that field (and do I really need mil spec?)."

Comments

Wait a friggin minute

[linuxwrangler]

You are sending up an experiment on shuttle mid-deck which I would hope implies that the experiment is worth the significant risk to human life and great expense that this requires.

But no, you are looking to cheap-out on the drives that are undoubtedly critical to the success of the experiment. That's pretty damn penny wise and pound foolish.

Having vented...

I suspect that NASA has specs and requirements for experiments on spacecraft if not for protecting the integrity of the experiments then at least to protect the astronauts and shuttle. What do those specs dictate?

If you can use COTS hardware then I suspect that laptop drives are your best bet for not only ruggedness but also weight, power draw, and size.