NASA Takes Steps Toward Interplanetary Internet

October 2008 Tests of Deep Space Communication Network Successful

Dec 5, 2008

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, it soon might be possible to communicate to planets millions of miles from Earth.

In October 2008, NASA successfully tested the first deep space communications network, a system modeled on the Internet. Engineers from the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., used software called Disruption-Tolerant Networking to transmit space images to and from a science spacecraft about 20 million miles from Earth.

“This is the first step in creating a totally new space communications capability, an interplanetary Internet,” said Adrian Hooke, team leader for the space-networking architecture, technology and standards at NASA headquarters. NASA next plans to establish a more permanent Interplanetary Network node in space, he said.

To accomplish this task, NASA will load new protocols onto a payload on the International Space Station next summer and perform more flight testing. The additional testing would involve more nodes and more NASA organizations, Hooke said. NASA hopes the space station would become a permanent orbiting laboratory for advancing the technology.

Communications Needed for Mars Mission

The Interplanetary Internet also supports NASA’s other goal of reaching Mars. Hooke said that when people go to Mars, they will have to have a robust communications system.

“During the next couple of decades of robotic Mars exploration, we will be putting in place the internetworking infrastructure that will be there to support people when they arrive. Meanwhile, we will also be building up Interplanetary Internet capabilities to support robots and people on the Moon,” Hooke noted.

Currently, NASA has an early version of the system running at Mars. NASA’s Mars Odyssey, its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and European Mars Express are talking to two NASA landers. Until last week, the orbiters also talked to NASA’s Phoenix. Hooke’s team is using this preliminary work to evolve mission by mission toward key relay nodes on the Interplanetary Internet on Mars and the Moon.

How Does It Work?

In a Nov. 18, 2008, press release, NASA explained that disruption-Tolerant Networking is different from Earth technology in that it does not assume a continuous end-to-end connection. In its design, if a destination path can’t be found, the data packets are not discarded. Instead each node keeps the information as long as necessary until it can communicate safely with another node. This store-and-forward method means information does not get lost when no immediate path to the destination exists. Eventually, the end user receives the information.

According to the press release, NASA said it developed the software with the help of engineers at Google Inc. The agency demonstrated the software during a series of experiments throughout October 2008. Hooke confirmed that these demonstrations were the first in a series to qualify the technology for use on a variety of upcoming space missions.

“This work started in 1999 so in the last decade we have been busy developing the technology to make it happen. Now we are ready to start flying that technology in real space missions. Stick around, the world hasn’t seen anything yet,” Hooke summarized.

The copyright of the article NASA Takes Steps Toward Interplanetary Internet in Deep Space Astronomy is owned by Louise Harris. Permission to republish NASA Takes Steps Toward Interplanetary Internet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.