NASA looks to Disruption Tolerant Networking to help communicate with satellites and spacecraft over long, interplanetary distances. Unlike the familiar computer-to-computer IP connection, the Disruption Tolerant Networking bundles data and transmits as many bundles as it can when a communication path opens. If a bundle fails to transmit, it goes into storage and waits for the next communication path to open, then sends it. If the bundles were all part of a single file, the file can be reassembled at the final destination. Learn more about this technology at: https://www.nasa.gov/content/dtn

Credit: NASA Goddard/Danny Baird

Music/Narration: Danny Baird