Vint Cerf is known as the “Father of the Internet” for his development of the technology that made the Internet into what it is today. He and three others are recognized for their contributions to that emerging technology which changed the world. On August 29th Cerf will speak at the viewing event for NASA’s Artemis I launch hosted by the non-profit Interstellar Dreams.
The viewing event will be the occasion for Interstellar Dreams’ founder Robin McDougal to publicly share the plans for two Space Centers, the first at George Mason University’s College of Science Research Hall and the second at a 40K square foot facility in Reston, Virginia within the Northern Virginia’s Dulles high-tech corridor. The Centers will train and inspire the space workforce of the future.
As NASA’s official launch partner, Interstellar Dreams’ attendees will view the first test of the deep space exploration systems within Artemis I. This inaugurates a series of space missions to demonstrate NASA’s work on extending human existence away from Earth, potentially on the moon and other planets. These initiatives are expected to be a boom for the aerospace industry that will increase demand for a well-trained workforce.
Cerf will speak on the need for an Inter-galaxy Internet, drawing upon his multiple decade career in technology that brought him many awards, including one from the prestigious Marconi Society. He iscurrently the Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google.
Cerf gained the title “Father of the Internet” for his co-invention of the TCP/IP protocols with Robert “Bob” Kahn who was Internet program manager at DARPA at the time. Two fellow co-founders are Larry Roberts known as the “Father of ARPAnet”, the predecessor of the Internet, and Sir Tim Berners-Lee known as the “Father of the Web” and founder and chairman of the World Wide Web Foundation.
Interstellar Dreams’ viewing event titled “Return to the Moon” will be held at Reston Station and is an ideal setting for the public to learn of its Space Centers’ plans. The facilities are to provide training and simulations in a virtual, real world learning environment that will prepare people for their careers in the aerospace industry.
The Centers’ ecosystem serves to both energize and nurture the next generation of STEM leaders in aerospace—with special inclusion of young women and minorities. STEM programs have a major role in building the needed workforce for NASA and space related industries. The non-profit Pearl Project Institute for Innovation in STEM Literacy provides that needed pipeline through its dedication to STEM Literate youth and its partnering with Interstellar Dreams.
Those participating in Pearl Project Institute’s STEM initiatives gain access to a diverse array of programming such as Climate and Earth Monitoring Observations, Search for Earth-like Planets and others. The real world aerospace simulations that they experience were designed by industry professionals from NASA, Satellite Industry experts, and University based space observers.
The launching of Artemis I combined with the public announcement of the new Centers is a major achievemenet for NASA, Interstellar Dreams and the Virginia tech corridor. The addition of Vint Cerf, “Father of the Internet” to speak at the event’s celebration is almost ideal, for he spurred on a new era of technology with the Internet—that now timely marries with a new era of space technology—that in fifty years may be seen as having changed the world and what is beyond.
