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Celestial Cybernetics:

New Internet Link Moves Gemini a Step Closer to Becoming World's First "Cyber Observatory"

Thanks to a unique combination of international cooperation and the latest Internet technology, Gemini Observatory is now well on its way to becoming the world's first global "cyber observatory".

With funding and support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Gemini has succeeded in blazing a new Internet pathway which will provide its globally separated twin telescopes with a reliable data transfer connection able to handle the enormous amounts of scientific information created by Gemini's sophisticated instrumentation.

This innovative link was further made possible with the support and technical assistance of Internet2, a university led networking research and development consortium; and AMPATH, a high-performance Internet "gateway" to South American research and educational networks led by Florida International University (FIU) in Miami.

"Gemini South is the first U.S. managed research program in South America to access the Internet2 network infrastructure," said Gemini Director of Operations Dr. James Kennedy, who led the Gemini initiative for establishing the new link.

"Now all we are limited by is the speed of light."

Kennedy's comments were made at the August 13, 2002 inauguration of the new link between Gemini's twin, 8-meter telescopes located on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, and on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes.

Utilizing the latest net-based, audio-visual conferencing technology, the event itself was an apt demonstration of the enormous potential of the new connection - not only for science, but also for cultural and educational opportunities around the world.

Styled as a "virtual inauguration", the event electronically brought together several key individuals located at the Gemini facilities in both Hawai'i and Chile, with the leading NSF participants and representatives of Internet2 in Washington D.C., and Florida International University in Miami.

(this is only a small portion of the announcement)

Click here for the full Gemini Press Release

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