Worldsfeed News Desk: Imagine a train system on the Moon — it sounds like something out of a science fiction story, doesn’t it? But it’s not just a dream. NASA, the space exploration agency, is funding a project to develop the first floating lunar railway. This project, called Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT), aims to use levitating magnetic robots to transport materials across the lunar surface.
The idea behind FLOAT is to create a reliable and autonomous way of moving resources on the Moon. Dr. Ethan Schaler, a robotics engineer leading the project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, believes that such a system will be crucial for sustaining a lunar base in the 2030s. Instead of traditional fixed rails, FLOAT proposes using flexible tracks that can be easily moved if needed.
The floating robots will travel along these tracks, propelled by electromagnetic thrust generated by the track itself. It’s similar to how maglev trains work on Earth. Each robot will be capable of carrying loads of up to 100 tonnes at speeds of around 1 mile per hour.
One of the advantages of this system is that it avoids the wear and tear caused by traditional wheeled or legged robots in the dusty lunar environment. Additionally, the flexibility of the tracks allows for easy reconfiguration if the layout of the moon base needs to change.
FLOAT is just one of six futuristic projects funded by NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program. These projects, ranging from fluid telescopes to plasma-powered rockets, aim to push the boundaries of space exploration. Each project has received $600,000 in funding to further develop their technology.
Dr. Schaler and his team plan to use this funding to create a miniature version of their tracks and robots for testing purposes. If successful, projects like FLOAT could play a significant role in future NASA missions, helping to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon and beyond.
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