Astronauts take recordable DVDs for a spin

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 29 May 2008 at 10:57

Verbatim has set everybody's mind at rest, by confirming that should you ever find yourself in outer space with data to back up, its recordable CDs and DVDs are certified for the job.

The testing was carried out by a German university, which had to vet the media to ensure it would operate and survive in space, after it was selected to accompany Space Shuttle Mission 1J to the International Space Station at the end of May.

It's a one-way trip for the discs which will be housed on the station and used as system backups should the on-board laptops need critical functions restoring.

Due to the potentially long stay of the discs on the space station, testing revolved around their claimed 100 years longevity, ensuring no chemicals dangerous to the delicate systems on the station would be released as the media decayed.

"The off-gassing test, as it is known, is an essential requirement to ensure that astronauts are not placed in danger through harmful substances in their air supply", explains Florian Bittner, product assurance and safety officer at Astrium GmbH, the university which conducted the test.