NASA is preparing to send astronauts back to the moon and has unveiled its intention to construct a floating robot train on the lunar surface. In a blog entry, the US space agency shared information about the initiative known as "Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT)", which seeks to establish a "robotic transportation system" to assist astronauts during their visits to the moon.
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The moon is getting light rail before you do.
"NASA plans to develop the first levitating railway transport system on the moon"https://t.co/kOgbHoqsUQ — pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) May 15, 2024
According to NASA's statement, this transportation system will play a vital role in the day-to-day functioning of a sustainable lunar base by the 2030s.
According to Ethan Schaler, a robotics expert from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the objective is to construct the inaugural lunar railway system.
This system will ensure dependable, self-governing, and effective transportation of payloads on the Moon. Schaler emphasized the significance of a resilient and long-lasting robotic transport system for the day-to-day functioning of a sustainable lunar base in the 2030s.
Based on the original plan proposed by NASA, FLOAT is intended exclusively for machines. It will comprise of magnetic robots that will hover above a three-layer film track to minimize damage caused by lunar dust.
These robots will carry carts, which will travel at an approximate speed of 1.61 kilometers per hour. Each day, they have the potential to transport around 100 tons of materials to and from NASA's upcoming lunar base.
The primary objective of FLOAT is to offer transportation services in regions of the moon where astronauts are operating, as stated by the space agency.
This will encompass the transportation of lunar soil and various materials to different sections of the lunar surface. Additionally, the railway will serve as a crucial means to transport substantial loads of materials and equipment to and from the locations where spacecrafts touch down.
NASA aims to build first railway system on moonhttps://t.co/7fk2EVeS6D pic.twitter.com/oiUGGHrQIr — NBC4 Columbus (@nbc4i) May 11, 2024
The engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California are already in the process of developing the FLOAT system. Various components of the FLOAT.
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