TheOnion

Okay I couldn't stop laughing reading this article. An excerpt:

According to agency officials, accessing the Internet has been an ongoing struggle for NASA. Still relying on a single dial-up modem, employees nevertheless continue to get disconnected from the Internet whenever the Johnson Space Center receives an incoming call or someone picks up the phone to dial out. In 2005, NASA attempted to upgrade from dial-up to DSL, but the program was aborted when engineers were unable to get the Ethernet hub to function.

While the building that houses the public affairs office can currently pick up a weak Wi-Fi signal from a Starbucks across the street, the Johnson Space Center as a whole is far from being the "giant Wi-Fi hotspot" Griffin envisions.

"If NASA is to fulfill its vision of a working environment of today, we will need to develop existing technologies to ensure Internet connectivity can be sustained without employees becoming entangled in cords," Griffin said.

Enlarge Image

Commanders Scott Dreisen and Alan Wittmer explore a Houston-area Best Buy for possible signs of wireless routers in NASA's heroic first steps into the Wi-Fi Age.

If federal funding is approved, NASA will begin its search for wireless capability by sending a series of robotic probes into the depths of the Johnson Space Center, exploring the surfaces of desks and tables to search for the most viable modem base. Once the probes have photographed the area, the information they have gathered will be transmitted back to Houston's Mission Control Center for analysis.

Griffin said that the agency has also recruited seven information technology specialists from some of the nation's top white-collar regional workplaces. The seven mission specialists in the newly dubbed "Internet Explorer" program are being rigorously trained to install the theoretical wireless devices in an Earth-gravity environment in which they could encounter potentially arduous conditions such as poor air ventilation and lifeless workscapes.

Since spring, NASA has also conducted some preliminary, small-scale reconnaissance missions to a Houston-area Best Buy, where crews conducted research and compared prices. Scientists within the agency say early data from the trips is promising, showing a generous return policy and an extended warranty plan. In addition, researchers have investigated the digital cable setup at veteran space shuttle astronaut Ken Bowersox's house.