The advancements in science and tech might soon enough enable the world to establish an interstellar internet and to transmit power between far-away stars by using gravity. As per the latest study, the researchers are implying that an intergalactic internet sort of system can theoretically established when the star-to-star data sharing using gravitational lensing is made reliable.
The Power Of Gravity
The ongoing research is based on the knowledge of the Theory Of General Relativity contributed by one of the greatest minds of our time, Albert Einstein. This can be used to understand the effects and impacts of gravity on each star, planet, and the universe as a whole. Here comes the notion of gravitational lensing, which can be explained as a phenomenon that relies on the gravitational fields of massive objects that can be bent and this in turn can be used to amplify the light that comes towards them. The 2014 sci-fi movie, Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan, contains the visualizations of this, as the whirling spirals around the black holes.
What the research team is thinking of is positioning a spacecraft somewhere around the SGL’s (solar gravitational lens) focal region. Long-range signals like light can be used to transmit the data to even unthinkable distances if this becomes possible. The spacecraft positioned at the SGL focal region can amplify the light that has traveled great distances and coming from other planets and celestial bodies can be used to carry the information to other star systems. There is a high chance that the data might get degraded or corrupted when it travels through space but the researchers have already mentioned a signal-to-noise ratio, which seems theoretically possible.
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What Is Interstellar Internet?
The term ‘interstellar internet’ can be defined as a cosmic communications system, and this is not a new concept. However, the challenges of creating such a communication system into the stars and beyond, are countless. It can be something like a computer network in the setup in space with a massive amount of computer nodes that can communicate with one another. In the space computer system, these nodes will be the ground stations of the Earth and orbiters and landers of the other planets.
As an example,
The computer nodes of the orbiters would be able to collect data and information from the rovers on the other planets using the communications links near the same planet. These data will be then transmitted to Earth’s ground stations and then routed to the internal internet of our planet. This is called the ‘interplanetary internet.’
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What Are The Major Challenges Of Interstellar Internet?
The major challenges in this field are:
- Distance
- Lack of Fixed Infrastructure
- Satellite Payload Capacity
- Distance
Each of the planets, or the other members of our solar system are at long distances from each other and some are even light years apart.
- Lack of Fixed Infrastructure
All these keep moving, so that keeps the challenge of distance more impactful. Also, these objects just do not move in a specific direction, but most of them revolve around the sun at various lengths which can make changes in the distance between them and the Earth. This is referred to as the absence of a fixed infrastructure.
- Satellite Payload Capacity
Currently, our satellites are designed in a way that allows them to carry only a small payload. This becomes critical in the manufacturing and designing of necessary hardware.
