Comment by asah
15 hours ago
serious q: how much extra failure rate would you expect from the physical transition to space?
on one hand, I imagine you'd rack things up so the whole rack/etc moves as one into space, OTOH there's still movement and things "shaking loose" plus the vibration, acceleration of the flight and loss of gravity...
Yes, an orbital launch probably resets the bathtub to some degree.
I suspect the thermal system would look very different from a terrestrial component. Fans and connectors can shake loose - but do nothing in space.
Perhaps the server would be immersed in a thermally conductive resin to avoid parts shaking loose? If the thermals are taken care of by fixed heat pipes and external radiators - non thermally conductive resins could be used.
Connectors have to survive the extreme vibration of a rocket launch. Parts routinely shake off boards in testing even when using non-COTS space rated packaging designed for extreme environments. That amplifies the cost of everything.
The Russians are the only ones who package their unmanned platform electronics in pressure vessels. Everyone else operates in vacuum, so no fans.
>>immersed in a thermally conductive resin
sounds heavy