Google Plans to Launch Disruption-Tolerant Internet Into Space This Year

By Rebecca Boyle Posted 02.18.2011 at 6:20 pm 10 Comments

EPOXI In Space EPOXI (or Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterization investigation - Deep Impact eXtended Investigation) is helping expand Internet access in space. NASA

Talk about cloud computing. Google wants to install “InterPlanetary internet protocols” (IP IP?) on spacecraft, using them as an interwoven network of new space-based communication nodes.

That’s according Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist, Vint Cerf, in an interview with Network World. And this is not some pie-in-the-sky idea — they’re already doing it.

This week we heard a lot about Comet Tempel 1, into which NASA smashed a probe a few years back and to which it returned via the Stardust probe. What we didn’t hear was that Stardust’s mission partner, EPOXI (formerly called Deep Impact), has apparently been updated with these new InterPlanetary protocols, and Google has tested it at 80 light-seconds.

Cerf explains that Google realized as far back as 1998 that space-based Internet has problems that don’t face the traditional Internet design — speed-of-light communications are instant on Earth, but at interplanetary distances, that’s slow, and can cause problems. An interplantary network could help overcome these problems.

The approach uses delay-tolerant networking, or Bundle Protocol, as distinct from Internet Protocol. The International Space Station uses Bundle Protocol, which defines blocks of data as a bundle, each of which contains enough information to avoid processing interruptions even in a delay.

This year, Google wants to standardize the interplanetary protocols and make them available to all the space-faring countries. As he tells Network World: “Potentially every spacecraft launched from that time on will be interwoven from a communications point of view. But perhaps more important, when the spacecraft have finished their primary missions, if they are still functionally operable — they have power, computer, communications — they can become nodes in an interplanetary backbone.”

Ghost spacecraft reincarnated as an interplanetary Internet to support the next generation? Seems worthy of a little evangelizing.

[Network World]

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10 Comments

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Angry_Guitarist

02/18/11 at 7:27 pm

Finally!!! When I travel to Mars, I get so fed up with dial up speeds, I mean, Mars doesn't even have phone lines I was all like hey wtf mai interwebz is downloading at 16kb/s. Well now i can youtube all teh time while off world.

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jralfonso

02/19/11 at 1:54 am

Well i guess Ender's world isn't so fictiony anymore!! It looks like Orson Scott Cards turned out to be a prophet... well at least a little bit.... all we need are the space bugs!!!!

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jralfonso

02/19/11 at 1:57 am

We have begun the process of expansion... Moon colonies!! here we come!!

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jeditalian

02/19/11 at 11:48 am

they can do this, but can't develop a zer0-point or quantum entanglement wireless router?

how do these captchas actually help? all i need to do is write a little javascript: first, look for 'first, second, third, etc' then find the "" field and pick that # word, inside the "". or does it have something to do with translation software and how the words will get all mashed up by them.

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ManX77Optimized

02/21/11 at 2:41 am

Wow that's wicked! I'd imagine that in time this will be a massive multi light year network... Connected through some absolutely leviathan, planet sized servers.. Every atomic particle in the universe will one day be connected to an intergalactic computer network!!

How 'bout Wackamole?! Can you beat my score?

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B.V.

02/21/11 at 1:44 pm

LOL

Space is gonna have the Interwebz before suburban and rural communities in the US.

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IceMetalPunk

02/21/11 at 5:18 pm

@jeditalian: No, you're correct. I've already written a simple Javascript that beats the CAPTCHA, and even submits the post from the preview page automatically. It works 100%, and it's very easy to write. I pointed this out to the webmaster with no response... I'm thinking about auctioning my code off to companies so they can advertise with spam once more :P .

Right now, though, I modified it a bit and put it in a Greasemonkey script so it'll take care of the CAPTCHA for me AND skip the preview page. My Popsci.com commenting just got a lot faster :P .

-IMP ;) :)

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Angry_Guitarist

02/21/11 at 7:34 pm

@tolgadrifts
What are you doing reposting my post with a link like that?

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reachingforthestars

02/21/11 at 8:53 pm

Now I can buy an apartment for my self at mars with nothing
to worry about.probably meet some some alliens girls and hangout

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