You know, just last week, I was saying to myself: Isnt it obvious that spacecraft should have Internet on them, too? I mean, seriously, astronauts probably dont have enough time to look at porn and stupid YouTube videos while theyre in months of intense training; weve got to do something about those inhumane conditions.

Oh, wait, that quote wasnt me, that was Google CEO Eric Schmidt. And it wasnt last week, it was yesterday, and it also wasnt said to me, it was said to NASA.

Because Im sure thats the space programs #1 concern: Internet access in space. Infrastructure, people! We are way behind on projections to colonize the Moon, Mars, et al."and to get there, we are going to have to make some serious strides in infrastructure: electricity, Internet, um . . . cell phone towers. Et cetera.

Am I talking crazy talk? Oh yeah. But at least I know it. As CNET reports:

Schmidt urged the space agency to take after what Google attempts to accomplish with its products: Build open, collaborative systems, not closed ones"a reference to NASAs legacy of creating mission-specific vehicles. Create simple platforms upon which others can build. And while youre at it, why not let spacecraft talk to each other?

Yeah, why not? Spacecraft are probably just as bored as the astronauts, if not more so.

CNET points out that if NASA wants to be open, Google may not be the best model to follow:

Even Google itself, of course, isnt open about everything. It limits visitors to its campus, and theyre asked to sign off on non-disclosure agreements before printing out identification badges. Not all of its source code are open to inspection, and its page-ranking techniques arent either.

Im hoping the Isnt it obvious statement (and several other statements) was met with laughter. Because, really, isnt it obvious that there has got to be something more important to do in space than Google?

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