ALTER | HTV supports project to preserve humanity’s cultural heritage in space
12. November 2025
ALTER | HTV investigates unprecedented storage medium
The TÜV NORD GROUP is playing a key role in the development of a data storage device that aims to preserve humanity’s cultural and linguistic heritage safely on the moon for future generations. This non-profit initiative is being carried out by the US innovation platform Barrelhand Inc. in collaboration with UNESCO. TÜV NORD subsidiary ALTER | HTV is helping to check whether the data on the innovative storage medium is readable before the moon missions.
This unprecedented storage medium is the third version of the “Memory Disc.” The coin-sized component for spacecraft was manufactured using NanoFiche™ technology. According to Barrlehand Inc., this technology enables data to be stored in extremely high resolution, allowing a large amount of information to be stored in a very small space. Similar to microfilm, but much finer and more detailed, the ultra-high resolution ensures that even the smallest details are preserved. According to Barrelhand Inc., the “Memory Disc V3” stores information at a resolution of 133,000 DPI (dots per inch), which is so fine that details up to 420 times smaller than a human hair can be captured. The data is difficult to see with the naked eye, but can be made visible using special imaging techniques, comparable to the effect of a microscope.
In addition, according to Barrlehand Inc., the “Memory Disc V3” is made of pure nickel, so that stored information is not damaged by aging or external influences and remains readable even after millions, if not billions, of years. The developers promise that the disc is resistant to cosmic radiation, extreme temperature fluctuations, and the vacuum of space. Unlike conventional digital media, which can lose quality or become unreadable over time, the Memory Disc V3 is designed to remain unchanged over time.
ALTER | HTV uses optical microscopy and a scanning electron microscope to examine whether the data on the novel storage medium can be read. These tests have enabled the experts to ensure that the nano-engraved analog data can be read and, compared to the originals, also deliver high quality. ALTER | HTV specializes in testing electronic components using a variety of analysis methods.
Barrlehand Inc. and UNESCO are storing a compilation of humanity’s linguistic, artistic, and cultural achievements on the disc, including the original French edition of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” and 106 works of art spanning 30,000 years of art history. The disc will travel with major international lunar missions in 2025 and 2027 and be left on the moon. The idea behind this initiative is to protect humanity’s legacy in space for future generations by leveraging emerging technologies and ideas that could open the next chapter in space exploration.
