How NASA Actually Tests Cameras Before Sending Them to Space

NASA's camera testing process is essentially the most brutal real-world reliability audit any body will ever go through, and the results are worth knowing. The Canon R5 came through with no critical failures. The Nikon Z7 II didn't finish testing at all, knocked out by connectivity issues inside the vacuum chamber. And despite having newer mirrorless options on the table, NASA strapped a Nikon D5 to Artemis II because it already had ISS hours logged and high-ISO performance that holds up where it counts. The practical takeaway for working photographers isn't about space. It's about what actually survives when manufacturer specs meet real environmental stress. SanDisk led on card reliability too, if you're the kind of person who reads footnotes before a big job.