Technology Repair… In Space!

Due to the overwhelming success of George Lucas's science-fiction film franchise Star Wars, fans all over the world will be celebrating May 4th as a holiday (May the Fourth be with you). Star Wars wouldn't have been nearly as successful if it weren't for its fascinating space technology, something that was previously only imagined by the most creative of minds. X-wings, blasters, and hyperdrives seem really neat, but they can break down just as easily as present-day space technology. There's something about the unknown void that is space which draws our attention, even if it's "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

"The Fastest Hunk of Junk in the Galaxy"
Han Solo's not talking about your old XP machines (which you should consider upgrading, by the way) - he's talking about the Millenium Falcon, his spaceship that is undergoing maintenance in the opening scene of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Due to being decades old (and taking constant abuse from Solo's reckless piloting tendencies), the modified light freighter was always in need of repair.

During this scene, the Millenium Falcon is undergoing repairs in the main hangar of the Echo Base. Han Solo and Chewbacca need to repair the central lifters, and they act like an old, dysfunctional married couple - passing tools back and forth and yelling orders via the intercom, all while under the duress of the Rebel forces losing the battle taking place outside the base. Their mission: fix the central lifters before Stormtroopers overtake the base, and escape with Princess Leia. The Millenium Falcon is able to take off before Stormtroopers are able to secure it, and our heroes escape. The important lesson of this scene is not that Stormtroopers have horrible aim, or that Chewbacca is a great repair-wookie. It's that a proper tech repair job allows you to fully utilize your technology, and escape the clutches of the Empire!

A NASA Repair Job
In our time, the spacewalk of two astronauts, Rick Mastracchio and Steve Swanson, is the talk of the galaxy. A critical piece of space technology, a backup computer, was in dire need of repair on the International Space Station orbiting Earth, and it was a 2.5 hour spacewalk that was needed to deliver repairs. There might not be laser-toting, space-exploding, aliens in this video of the successful spacewalk, but it sure is impressive.

The computer, dubbed a Multiplexer-Demultiplexer, was ten years old. It is one of 45 computers on the ISS, 21 of which are located in the cold, dark exterior of the station. Space.com explains that "the device is a backup computer for routing commands to systems supporting the space station's solar arrays, robotic arm rail car, and the other critical systems along the station's backbone-like main truss." Imagine how catastrophic a complete technology failure would be 230 miles from the Earth's surface!

Business Technology Repair Isn't Rocket Science
This incredible story only serves to raise awareness of how important your backup data is. NASA didn't even have to fix this computer because it was "only a backup", but they made the right choice by fixing it. It doesn't matter what the application - if your mission-critical systems aren't ready for disaster, all it takes is a lucky blast from a Stormtrooper (or just an honest user error) to send your business spiraling into the abyss of space.

Computerware can be your team of Pit Droids in the great podrace of business with our Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution, which can backup your company's entire network. With BDR, you'll never have to worry about your data being lost in the event of an intergalactic disaster. With our remote IT services, we'll be able to monitor your systems and detect problems while they are small, before your business meets the same fate as Alderaan. Call Computerware today at (703) 821-8200, and we'll make sure you have the galaxy's finest IT technicians available to backup and repair your system. May the Fourth be with you!