ISS Launches First Permanent Node of "Interplanetary Internet"

Posted by timothy on Monday July 13, 2009 @12:00AM from the wake-me-up-when-the-terminator-gets-here dept.

schliz writes "Researchers developing the 'Interplanetary Internet' have launched its first permanent node in space via a payload aboard the International Space Station. The network is based on a new communications protocol called Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN). It will be tested heavily this month, and could give astronauts direct Internet access within a year. The Interplanetary Internet is the brainchild of Vint Cerf ('father of the Internet'), among others. Last year, NASA tested the technology on the Deep Impact spacecraft." Update: 07/13 20:01 GMT by KD : If by "permanent" we mean seven years.

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"Permanent"??? by Jane+Q.+Public · 2009-07-13 00:06 · Score: 3, Insightful

Uh... sorry. But NASA's plans for the ISS, or anything like it at this time, are hardly "permanent".

If you want them to be, get off your butts and tell that to the Whitehouse and your Congresscritters. Because they obviously don't know.