By John Keller
FREMONT, Calif. — BiTMicro Networks Inc. and Radstone Technology are combining forces to provide electronics system health monitoring for the future NASA X-34 flying laboratory.
Experts from BiTMicro Networks of Fremont, Calif., are providing their SFX35 Fast SCSI E-Disk data-storage system, while engineers from Radstone of Towcester, England, are providing their 1/2 air transport rack (ATR) chassis. The companies are collaborating on the X-34's NITEX vehicle health-monitoring system.
NASA's X-34 is to demonstrate technologies and operations applicable to future low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. It is one of a family of technology demonstrators aimed at lowering launch costs from $10,000 to $1,000 per pound.
The NITEX system, which is not an operational system required for flight, is for ground testing for health monitoring experiments as a flight payload.
The X-34 is capable of flying as fast as eight times the speed of sound and reaching altitudes of approximately 50 miles. It will be a workhorse for testing high-reliability, low-cost technologies and operations needed to develop and operate the next generation of space vehicles.
The Radstone ATR chassis packages electronics components densely, and protects them from shock, vibration, and thermal extremes. Radstone VME bus modules and power supply units are secured in the chassis with expanding screw-driven wedgelocks that ensure the mechanical integrity of the whole unit and minimize the risk of damage from shock and vibration.
BiTMicro Networks' E-Disk SFX35 versions deliver 10 megabytes per second burst read and burst write transfer rates, and more than 9 megabytes per second sustained read and sustained write transfer rates. They contain no moving parts, which are the primary cause of failures and electro-mechanical delays in conventional hard drives.
BiTMicro Networks' non-volatile storage products can withstand operating temperatures from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius and 1,000 Gs of operating shock.
For more information contact BiTMicro Networks by phone at 510-623-2341, by fax at 510-623-2342, by post at 45550 Northport Loop East, Fremont, Calif. 94538-6481, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.BiTMicro.com.
Also contact Radstone Technology by phone at +44 (0) 1327 359444, by fax at +44 (0) 1327 359662, by post at Water Lane, Towcester, Northants NN12 6JN, England, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.radstone.com/.
