Scientists and space explorers now are looking for a way to communicate almost instantly beyond Earth. The next phase of the Internet will take us to far reaches of our solar system, and lay the groundwork for a communications system for a manned missions to Mars and planets beyond. MARS could soon be buzzing with its own internet. Nasa, the American space agency, wants to girdle the silent red planet with powerful satellites to help astronauts communicate with each other and with Earth. Starting next year the agency aims to launch a series of spacecraft that will form the building blocks of the new system.
Plans are due to be announced in the next few months.
With the recent loss of both Mars Polar Lander and the Climate Orbiter, NASA may be about to fast track its plans to put a constellation of micro-satellites around Mars, giving the planet its own internet. The Mars Network will give future Martian probes a better idea of where they are and a faster way of getting information back to Earth. It is the first step in giving NASA a virtual presence elsewhere in the solar system and it may even provide the likes of you and me with high-bandwidth access to the Red Planet. A ping is the Internet equivalent of the sonar pings over-used in submarine thrillers like The Hunt for Red October. Ideally a ping results in an echo-like response, confirming that an Internet connected computer, in this case the satellite, is operating normally.