Do ISS astronauts have Internet access?

[willpittenger]

You never know where you would find the solution to a problem. It would also be a good place for Internet-savvy personalities to spend their free time.<br /><br />Besides, they might post here from ISS. Who all would want to ask an ISS astronaut or cosmonaut a question? (As I understand it, cosmonauts must learn English before being selected. That helps.) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

Yes, they do

 

[erioladastra]

"Yes, they do"<br /><br />Well you have to be a little careful. The can use the internet to use the Internet Protocol (IP) phone when we have Ku coverage. They also have email and we uplink files to them that we put on a web page for their ease of getting to them. This is all done in batch uplinks. But they can't surf the net or post to web sites - they don't have real-time internet capability.

 

[docm]

Might this change when the military's prototype IRIS (Internet Routing in Space) "space router" orbits in Intelsat General’s IS-14 satellite? I understand it will have TCP/IP capability supporting data, voice and video. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[no_way]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>They also have email and we uplink files to them that we put on a web page for their ease of getting to them<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Sorta like BBS days, dial in with your modem, exchange stuff and disconnect, to keep the phone bills low.<br /><br />no pr0n downloadin :| <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[jimfromnsf]

"Might this change when the military's prototype IRIS (Internet Routing in Space) "space router" orbits in Intelsat General’s IS-14 satellite? I understand it will have TCP/IP capability supporting data, voice and video." <br /><br />Shuttle doesn't use other comsats, only TDRSS<br />

 

[CalliArcale]

And even if they did, they'd only be able to use that satellite for part of each orbit. (The TDRS network relies on there being multiple satellites to relay the signal, and at first there will only be the one "space router".)<br /><br />It would probably be *technically* feasible to hook up the ISS to it, but I would think the practicalities of it would make it undesirable. For one thing, it probably only provides access to the classified military internet, which has the serious deficiency of not having Uplink or Google or any of those fun websites. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[thereiwas]

This is something Bigelow will have to work out for his stations. The customers will want pretty predictable internet access to their remote experiments and people.

 

[bpfeifer]

I find this thread interesting. I was watching on NASATV a few years ago a conference held by Constellation Systems to get contractors excited about the VSE. One of the upcoming projects was updating and expanding the communications system to support continuous operations on the Moon and eventually further out. At that point, they said they were still debating whether to install an IP based satellite network. NASA may still be looking in this direction. And historically, NASA and the DOD have shared many tracking and communications resources.<br /><br />I suspect this is purely a military project, but it's interesting to know that two high-tech agencies are thinking in the same direction when it comes to the next generation of communications systems. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Brian J. Pfeifer http://sabletower.wordpress.com<br /> The Dogsoldier Codex http://www.lulu.com/sabletower<br /> </div>

 

[thereiwas]

Hadn't thought of the moon. Some adjustments to the protocols would be necessary to handle the 1.3 sec latency. Really big receive windows and longer timeouts. Similar to what is done for satellite links, but more so. Casual web browsing would not be a great end-user experience, though HughesNet has developed some techniques to speed things up (such as prefetching all the images).<br /><br />The messier part is providing continuous links with stations in non-synchronous orbits (whether in LEO, LaGrange, or Lunar locations).

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

"Casual web browsing would not be a great end-user experience"<br /><br />Pretty much the normal experience when viewing this site <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> (It actually hasn't been so bad lately). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------- </p><p>Wanna see this site looking like the old SDC uplink?</p><p>Go here to see how: <strong>SDC Eye saver </strong>  </p> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>The messier part is providing continuous links with stations in non-synchronous orbits (whether in LEO, LaGrange, or Lunar locations).<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />How about a virtual connection? It really doesn't matter how the connection to the server is made. The normal Internet is rerouting constantly anyway. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>no pr0n downloadin :| <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />It would would make it downright tough for viruses and worms to reach the station. I figure the computers probably run something standard like Windows or Linux. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[thereiwas]

Messy because directional high-gain antennas or laser beams must be used and the Earth is rotating. And any LEO objects move even faster. At least the moon and its L-points are fixed in relationship with each other and Earth.

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>It would would make it downright tough for viruses and worms to reach the station. I figure the computers probably run something standard like Windows or Linux.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Last I heard, they were using Windows on the laptops for the videoconferencing and e-mail and such. (Essential systems use real-time embedded OSes.) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[llivinglarge]

Purely speculative, but would WiFi work in space if the signal was strong enough?

 

[thereiwas]

WiFi would work in space, but over no greater a distance it does on earth. If you are thinking of boosting the signals to very high levels and sending them over earth-moon distances, no, that would not work.<br /><br />The protocols make assumptions about timing such as all stations are within a few hundred nanoseconds of each other.

 

[erioladastra]

<br />Correct - Windows for the laptops used for procedures and email. All files going up are virus scanned, and can be sshut off if a threat is detected prior to a patch being developed. The critical systems are developed in house and cannot be reached by a virus.

 

[willpittenger]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Essential systems use real-time embedded OSes.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />What about the arm? Is that "essential?" <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[erioladastra]

"What about the arm? Is that "essential?" "<br /><br />Absolutely. Anything with vehicle control or hardware is run by unique OS's.