Internet creator hopes to connect planets :-
Ahmedabad | January 07, 2005 4:26:28 PM IST
Ahmedabad, Jan 6 : The man who connected the earth with the click of a mouse is
now working on an "interplanetary" network that would hook up planets of the
solar system to aid scientists in their future space missions.
According to Vincent G. Cerf, the man who in 1970 designed the ARPANET, the
software protocol which laid the seeds for the Internet, the new Internet
across the solar system would help scientists understand other planets and
would also help astronauts in their communications with earth.
Mars should be connected by 2009 and Jupiter by 2012, Cerf told IANS on the
sidelines of the 92nd Indian Science Congress here.
The development comes in the wake of US plans to send a man to Mars some time
after 2020.
"The new protocol would set the basic structure for connectivity in space to
standardise communication protocol. It could be expanded as and when time
demands," said Cerf, who is currently senior vice president of Technology
Strategy in the US.
According to him, the present Internet protocol was not applicable due to
factors like distance, lack of gravity and pressure and a completely new design
had to be initiated.
"Even light takes six minutes from Earth to Mars, and the farthest planets are
40 minutes apart. So our protocol had to be faster than light," he said, adding
that it took him five years to design the new one.
As part of the new design, earth would be given a set of satellites -- the Deep
Space Network.
The satellites, situated roughly around the equator, would have three large
antennae at 120 degrees from each other "so that they get complete 360-degree
connectivity of the entire earth all the time", Cerf said.
A solar-powered radio system would be sent to Mars, on board the two dedicated
orbiting satellites Spirit and Opportunity that have been revolving around the
red planet for the past two years.
For Jupiter, however, the process would be more complex since solar-powered
cells cannot be used due to lack of sunlight there and also decrease with
distance.
(IANS)
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| User: "R. Foreman" |
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| Title: Re: Internet creator hopes to connect planets |
08 Jan 2005 03:18:09 PM |
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(TonyZ2001) Spat the Words
"Even light takes six minutes from Earth to Mars, and the farthest
planets are 40 minutes apart. So our protocol had to be faster than
light," he said, adding that it took him five years to design the new
one.
It only took him 5 years to design something that travels
faster than light. That's fucking brilliant.
If he can travel faster than light, then he should just travel
to the future and tell us how it all turns out.
As part of the new design, earth would be given a set of satellites --
the Deep Space Network.
The satellites, situated roughly around the equator, would have three
large antennae at 120 degrees from each other "so that they get complete
360-degree connectivity of the entire earth all the time", Cerf said.
A solar-powered radio system would be sent to Mars, on board the two
dedicated orbiting satellites Spirit and Opportunity that have been
revolving around the red planet for the past two years.
For Jupiter, however, the process would be more complex since
solar-powered cells cannot be used due to lack of sunlight there and
also decrease with distance.
(IANS)
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