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Solid State Disks: Continuously Defying the Limits of Altitude for Data Storage
by Joanne De Peralta
Flash SSDs' burgeoning role in data storage is continuously expanding possibilities in military operations as well as scientific research
Military systems have long been the regular market for solid-state disks (SSDs). Even now that the consumer industry is slowly adopting flash SSD for its new generation of products, the technology is still directly identified as a primary storage tool of the defense sector. For industry watchers who have been closely following the ascent of this technology, it doesn't come as a surprise at all. After all, as defined solid-state disk is a non-volatile, high performance storage device with no moving parts.
This is the basic premise why flash based solid state disks are being fielded out to highly rugged environments, high altitudes included where conventional hard disk drives are most likely to malfunction. Flash SSDs come with non-volatile and high-density flash chips, resulting in high storage capacities in small form factors. Likewise, the absence of mechanical parts inside the device keeps the wear and tear to the minimum.
Solid-state disk's advantage over the rotating hard disk drive is clearly stated in STORAGEsearch.com's article entitled "Why Most Analysts are Wrong about Solid State Disks". It says, "The customer value proposition in hostile environments is that SSDs operate in environments in which hard disks are unsuitable, and where SSDs have superior weight, power, reliability or other key attributes." Simply put, hard disk drives could not offer provide the best form factor and functionality in extreme conditions.
Addressing the limitations of high altitude apps
In high altitude applications, ruggedness in a data storage device can be tantamount to the success of the operation or project itself. This type of computing environment is characterized by temperature fluctuations, shock, vibration, dust, moisture, magnetic fields, limited space and non-availability of power source among others. For humans, it takes a lot of preparation to ready the physical and emotional self for combat. So how does it go for flash SSDs? Where does its power to combat extreme conditions in high altitude applications come from?
Form Factor
Solid-state disks are direct drop-in replacements for HDDs. It can come in small form factors if necessary for a high-altitude application. It can come in handy 1.8" up to 3.5" form factors to fit in most computing devices. Compared to hard disk drives, it can cut the weight by half giving it a premium advantage in applications where weight is calculated to the last pound.
Capacity and Price
As the technology matures, manufacturers offer increasing capacities. Although the military and industrial markets are not that price sensitive as compared to the consumer market, the rapid drop in prices of flash chips directly affects how the leading players in the storage industry map out their product lines. In most tradeshows, manufacturers are now boasting of higher capacities, even eating their own offerings a few months back.
According to ComputerWorld Storage, "an 8GB chip that cost $11.36 at the end of 2006 currently costs $8.47 on the spot market. That's a drop of 25% in six months." Solid-state disks when first introduced to the military market offer less than a gigabyte of data storage. But now, SSDs can come with as much as a terabyte of data in one unit. This much capacity can record a year's surveillance data in airborne applications.
Ruggedness
High altitude applications require an operating temperature of -40C to 85C (industrial) range or even better. Mechanical hard drives are limited to an operating temperature range of +5°C to +55°C which cannot guarantee a flawless performance when sent up. Solid state disks on the other hand have been built with such conditions in mind. Extreme temperatures do not affect its performance, thus vouching for data integrity.
Security
Security features are readily available for most solid-state disks. For BiTMICRO's E-Disk® SSD, the SecurErase® function allows classified data to be deleted completely, quickly and beyond retrieval. This patented security feature eliminates the danger of confidential information being retrieved and used against the data owners.
Power Consumption
Drives equipped with flash memory chips consume 70 percent less power than rotating hard disk drives. This is exceptionally beneficial in high altitude applications as power source is hardly available once airborne vehicle takes off. The less power a drive needs the longer it can store data without the need to recharge.
Solid State Disk in actual deployment
BiTMICRO's E-Disk® Solid State Disk proved how much SSD can contribute to scientific research when it was employed for the Cosmic Rays Energetics And Mass (CREAM) project. CREAM is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-sponsored high-altitude balloon experiment led by top universities in the US. It was an investigative effort to find out the composition of ultra high-energy cosmic rays.
Using a 43 GB E-Disk® solid state disk on board a Long Duration Balloon (LDB), the team was able to record about 36GB of heavy nuclei data. The unmanned balloon surpassed its previous record with an on-flight travel of 41 days and 22 hours near the edge of space at 125,000 feet. Although flash memory is not entirely insensitive to cosmic rays, E-Disk® solid state disk utilized Toshiba flash chips, which have very low cosmic ray sensitivity because Toshiba's "inside-store" trench cell stores more charge.
A Test of Durability
SpaceQuest, Ltd, a spacecraft avionics developer based in Fairfax, Virginia, was contracted by a private aerospace company to develop a groundbreaking design that goes beyond the limits of traditional spacecraft architecture. After finalizing the new design, SpaceQuest looked around for a reliable storage drive for the spacecraft's computer vision system during orbit. SpaceQuest decided to deploy non-volatile E-Disk® ATA/IDE solid-state disk. The E-Disk® SSD has a proven track record in ruggedized applications, operating reliably even in high-altitudes (up to 120,000 feet) and extreme operating temperatures (–60 degrees C to + 95 degrees C). Upon installation, company engineers delightfully noted that the pure solid state E-Disk® ATA/IDE flash drive consumed minimal power and integrated well with the spacecraft's network of computers connected by proprietary bus and interfaces.
This is just citing few of the documented cases where solid-state disk validates its claim of having the brain, brawn and mechanism to be deployed in extreme conditions such as in high altitude applications. Successful SSD deployments in the field of research translate to bolder attempts to study outer space and find out what is beneath the skies. Solid-state disks eliminate the limits of altitude when it comes to data storage. For now, it can be the extent of flash solid state disk's role in research but looking at the continuous development of the product, it will not be long before it takes on a pivotal role in further discovering and conquering the world out there In the military on the other hand, solid state disks further solidify their role as a key storage device for surveillance, reconnaissance and exploratory efforts in high altitude environments.
Barriers are continuously being broken to give way to a more efficient system in the defense sector. At the end of the day, solid-state disks strengthen the military's full battle gear giving the power to secure data even in the harshest conditions.
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