InterPlanNet - Internet Pioneer Vinton Cerf wants to network the universe...

I just read this on the German news and since I haven't found anything on ats I thought I mention it.
InterPlanNet - Vinton Cerf wants to network the universe

The link is in German!

Vinton Cerf received the HPI Fellowship Award from Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany four days ago. During his acceptance speech he mentioned that he's working on some new kind of internet. InterPlanNet, as he named it, will be a network that for e.g. could impove communication with research probes. Actual internet protocol technology is way too slow and due to dead zones a lot of the picked up data is lost. As a next step InterPlanNet could be a network between several planets in our solar system.

He then urged a faster shift to IPv6 which implements more security.

Well I wish I could read german because I am incredibly interested to understand why on earth we would need an internet to chat to other planets?

I mean either we have already colonised some other planets (on the quiet)... (im just speculating because I cant read german) and (when we can establish an internet with them) they will disclose this to us and we'll all get the them on our facebook... ?
or?
We are gonna have net to aliens?
Am I missing something inter planet communication to whom??

translators? please?

Originally posted by Lagrimas
Well I wish I could read german because I am incredibly interested to understand why on earth we would need an internet to chat to other planets?

I mean either we have already colonised some other planets (on the quiet)... (im just speculating because I cant read german) and (when we can establish an internet with them) they will disclose this to us and we'll all get the them on our facebook... ?
or?
We are gonna have net to aliens?
Am I missing something inter planet communication to whom??

translators? please?

edit on 30-5-2011 by Lagrimas because: spelling error

Cerf's main goal is to improve communication with with probes right now. The network between planets is a vision for the future as far as I understood. (when humankind has colonized planets...)

reply to post by Lagrimas


They are pretty much forecasting and solving for future problems - a common thing for some of us brainiacs to do while 'geeking out.' Current network protocols, as mentioned, would not work well for communication with other planets or objects that go in and out of contact. This is a perfectly logical way of thinking for a number of 'us' - I continually hammer out the concepts of stellar warfare strategies based on presumptions about technological capabilities and the goals of a given force. I like to see how "changing the board" changes the game. It's like altering a chess board or some of the pieces on it - then seeing how the game plays differently.

I am not quite sure if they are claiming he's worked out a solution to this... or if he is working out a solution (bit of a difference) - but it could have some pretty interesting applications for very known and conventional cellular phone networks and mesh networking concepts (another area where 'satellites/probes' drop in and out of contact while being in motion).