Scientists at the International Space Station have successfully shown that it is possible to connect to standard Internet services on Earth even when you’re not on the planet. NASA has confirmed that astronaut Sunita Williams was able to use a specially developed laptop on the International Space Station to control an Interet-connected Lego robot in Germany.
The technology is called Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN). Unlike traditional Internet protocol standards, which assume that there will always be route of connections available from node A to node B, DTN accepts the reality that there will be disruptions in connectivity from where the signal is being sent to where it is supposed to be received.
So, NASA proved that it’s possible to control Earth Legos from space, but what does that mean? According to Bardi Younes, the agency’s deputy associate administrator for space communications, the same technology could one day be used by astronauts to control robots on the surface of Mars.
DTN has been used in tests for more than four years, but this was the first that specifically examined its application in controlling robotics, which requires a more persistent and reliable connection than just transmitting packets of data.
One future study that NASA has detailed is for an astronaut to wear an exoskeleton on the International Space Station, and as his or her movements are recorded, they will be mimicked by a robot on Earth in real time.
NASA has stated that improving space communications is one of its key goals, which is admittedly a bit ironic since it no longer has a space shuttle program of its own.