Tech & Biz

Internet in Space: I Can Has Zero G

by jordan | September 12, 2008 at 08:54 am | 350 views | 9 comments | 9 recommendations

Anybody who has ever had their cable connection chewed through by squirrels knows that Internet transmissions are far less tolerant of interference and disruption than something like terrestrial TV and cable television. This becomes a larger issue when trying to access the Internet from remote locations. What about outer space?

It's doable. Slashdot posted a press release by a satellite firm which is testing a disruption-tolerant networking system.

Wireless ad-hoc communication networks and networks operating in extreme environments suffer frequent outages and disruption and require careful engineering to meet their needs. Spacecraft and probes operating beyond Earth orbit have intermittent communication contact limited by orbital dynamics. These space communication links create worst-case scenarios for disruption and long communication outages. Delay-Tolerant Networking techniques address these issues for systems that lack continuous network connectivity. The ‘bundle’ protocol has been developed in a co-operative research effort to support continuous communications across disrupted links.

Here's a HTML version of a paper on the subject, via Google Scholar. Basically, it argues in favor of satellite-to-satellite transmission of packets, rather than using satellites as part of a "bent pipe" network, in which they just link various ground-based transmitters.
So will we discover extraterrestrial life when they start sending spam? Are their male enhancement pills and online diplomas on other planets? Perhaps one day we'll find out. In the short term, though, a spaceworthy gateway to the Internet will make the transmission of flight info, research data, and tweets much easier.

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mchawk

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:08 on September 12th, 2008

jordan, I like this story. It's good stuff.

moonwolf

at 12:37 on September 12th, 2008

I love that term, disruption 'tolerant'! LOL! One nice sized solar flair and bye bye baby!

LotusFlower

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:27 on September 12th, 2008

jordan, I like this story. It's good stuff. and in the story we get another great term 'delay-tolerant'

SOLARLIFE

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:53 on September 12th, 2008

jordan, I like this story. It's good stuff. For the moment I think the first DSL or high speed Internet connection is installed in the ISS space station. At least the Columbus module should have it.

clownfish33

at 05:40 on September 13th, 2008

clownfish33

at 05:41 on September 13th, 2008

breglad45

at 04:42 on September 14th, 2008

Photographing Pluto and the surface of Mars et al is wonderful - but to think of us as a "spacefaring" civilization is like calling a child getting his toes wet in the surf a "seafarer", sorry. BUT! It is a start and I have hope for us earthlings that someday we'll deserve the title "SPACEFARER" --- if we don't destroy ourselves first.

breglad45 has contributed a photo to this story.

MitchB

at 15:29 on September 14th, 2008

I felt like taking a picture of the galaxy one night and this is what turned out. The brightest star is actually Jupiter. This was a 30 second exposure with a 4.0 aperture.

MitchB has contributed a photo to this story.