Republished with permisssion. The goal is to be able to transmit data between different types of computer platforms using standard, commercially available Internet protocols, Skudlarek said.
Protocols are software codes that allow information to pass through the Internet.
The experiment, which builds on previous experiments on the satellite, is being conducted by NASA , Lockheed Martin Space Operations and several commercial computer, spacecraft and telecommunications companies. The 118Next experiment began June 1, and the first network test between Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and Lockheed Martin's Consolidated Space Operations Contract Integration Center in Houston was conducted Sept. 1. Among the strategies are making greater use of commercially available technologies and building more autonomy into spacecraft. The tests will continue until the end of the satellite's in June. The project's funding comes from NASA's space communications program, but Zernic did not release details.