Greetings from Mars! The cosmic journey of interplanetary email

Dear Earthlings and Martians (and any lurking Plutonians),

Have you ever stared at your overflowing inbox and thought, "Wow, I wish I could get emails from another planet?" No? Well, neither did I until I heard about the latest buzz in the cosmos: Email is going interplanetary!

Yes, you read that right. Our good old Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is gearing up to boldly go where no email has gone before. And no, this isn't about that one time your email took forever to reach your colleague because it was stuck in the spam nebula. This is the real deal—emails zipping between Earth, Mars, and beyond!

Why send emails across planets? 

Because shouting into the void of space doesn't work (we've tried). Also, who wouldn't want to get a "Happy Birthday" email from a Martian rover? Talk about out-of-this-world greetings!

The galactic challenges

But wait! Sending emails across space isn't as easy as hitting "send" and hoping the Wi-Fi reaches Pluto. Space is big - like, really big. Here are some quirky hurdles we've got to jump over:

• Delay and disruption tolerant networks (DTNs): Imagine sending an email and getting a response in 20 minutes or 20 days. Space emails have to deal with delays that make your slowest internet day look like light speed.
• Bundle protocol agents (BPAs): No, these aren't the latest kitchen gadgets. They're special agents ensuring your interplanetary "You've got mail!" actually gets to you, even if it has to dodge a few asteroids along the way.
• Planetary domains: Move over .com and .net, we're talking .mars and .jupiter! Though we're still figuring out if Pluto gets its own domain or just a participation trophy.

The cosmic email journey

Let's take a look at how an email might travel from Earth to Mars.

• Step 1: You compose a witty email to your friend stationed at the Mars colony. You hit send, feeling smug about your pun on "Mars bars".
• Step 2: Your email enters the Earth Mail Transfer Agent (MTA), which then hands it over to a Bundle Protocol Agent (BPA). Think of the BPA as a cosmic mailman with a really cool spaceship.
• Step 3: The BPA packages your email into a "bundle" (probably with some space-age bubble wrap) and launches it into the interplanetary ether.
• Step 4: After dodging some space debris and perhaps stopping for a cosmic coffee, the bundle reaches the Martian BPA/MTA gateway.
• Step 5: Your email is unwrapped and delivered to your friend's Martian inbox. Cue the delayed but delighted laughter at your pun.

Interplanetary spam filters

Of course, with great email power comes great responsibility. We must ensure that Martians aren't flooded with spam about "One weird trick to grow your tentacles" or "You've been selected for a lunar timeshare!"

Our interplanetary email system has to incorporate top-notch security measures such as:

• DMARC components: These aren't space suits but security protocols ensuring that emails are authentic and haven't been tampered with by sneaky space pirates.
• BPSEC BIB (Bundle Protocol Security Block Integrity Block): Try saying that five times fast. It's like a cosmic bouncer making sure only the right emails get through.

A word on interplanetary etiquette

Remember, space is vast, but manners still matter. When emailing across the cosmos:

• Be patient: Responses might take a while. Mars is, on average, about 140 million miles away. That's like waiting for a reply from that one friend who always "forgets" to text back.
• Be clear: Avoid Earth-specific slang that might confuse our Martian friends. For instance, "It's raining cats and dogs" might lead to unnecessary interplanetary concerns.

But it's not all fun and games

While we've had a good laugh imagining the cosmic quirks of interplanetary email, this concept is actually rooted in serious scientific and engineering efforts. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) now has a draft to make interplanetary communication a reality.

If you're intrigued and want to dive into the technical details, check out the first draft of the standard: A method for delivery of SMTP messages over Bundle Protocol networks.

This draft, authored by S. Johnson, explores how we can bridge discrete IP networks using Delay and Disruption Tolerant Networks (DTNs) to enable SMTP interoperability across the cosmos. It's a fascinating read that delves into the nitty-gritty of making interplanetary email not just a sci-fi dream but a tangible reality.

The future is now (well, almost) 

While we're still ironing out the cosmic kinks (like ensuring our emails don't get intercepted by curious aliens with a penchant for cat memes), the prospect of interplanetary email is thrilling.

Just think - soon, you might subscribe to newsletters from the Moon, get promotional offers from Venusian vendors ("Hot deals from the hottest planet!"), or even receive chain emails that really do span the galaxy.

As we stand on the cusp of this new frontier, let's embrace the quirks that come with interplanetary communication. After all, this isn't just fun and games, it's a serious leap forward in how we connect with the universe.

So, next time you check your inbox, keep an eye out for that email from a distant planet, and if you ever receive one titled "Greetings Earthling," don't be too quick to mark it as spam. It might just be the start of a beautiful interstellar friendship.

May the force be with your inbox!

Disclaimer: The interplanetary email system is a draft idea. For a deep dive into the technical aspects, refer to the IETF draft by S. Johnson. Any emails purportedly from other planets are likely from your cousin with too much time on their hands.