NASA wants to build a railway on the moon

Last week, US and British media quoted sources from NASA as saying that the agency is implementing research on a plan called FLOAT to build the first railway on the Moon and has increased funding for this project.

“We aim to build the first rail system on the Moon. This is a reliable, automated and highly efficient mode of transportation on the Moon,” said a representative of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The agency said that the transportation system plays a very important role in the daily operations of the lunar bases. In particular, the FLOAT rail system is expected to be operational in the next decade, with the task of transporting soil and rock from mining sites, serving research and construction.

The FLOAT rail system is responsible for transporting soil and rock from mining sites, serving research and construction. (Photo: Valley Central)

Recently, NASA's research team proposed the FLOAT project, which uses magnetic robots as a means of transport, hovering contactlessly above three-layer rails.

The operating principle is somewhat similar to the Maglev train on the Earth's surface, using magnetism to propel the train cars to hover, without frictional contact with the rails.

The robots come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with a maximum load capacity of up to 33kg/m2, a speed of over 2km/h in the lunar environment, and a power consumption of less than 40kW per day. According to the Daily Mail, this rail system is capable of transporting up to 100 tons of materials per day.

The track, which can withstand harsh and dusty environments, is laid directly on the lunar surface to avoid the need for large-scale construction sites, and can be easily rolled up and moved elsewhere in the future.

The tracks are also designed to absorb sunlight, creating a sustainable energy source for the base.

The Telegraph newspaper quoted information from NASA saying that the FLOAT project has now entered phase 2, expected to be operational, serving the daily activities of the lunar base from the 2030s.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nasa-muon-xay-duong-sat-tren-mat-trang-192240512102201924.htm