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NEWSLINE PAPER,- Humans are projected to stay for a long period of time on the surface of the Moon.
Well, to support human activity on the Moon, there must be a lot of preparation. For example, transporting human-needed goods to the base.
Now, the researchers are considering how to do the transportation in a different way -- a floating rail system.
Quoting IFL Science, Tuesday (7/5/2024) the project is called FLOAT, the abbreviation of Flexible Levitation On A Track.
The aim of the construction of these trains is to provide autonomous, reliable, and efficient cargo transportation.
In this way, humans can transfer cargo to and from the landing zone to the base as well as transport the moonland (regolit) from the mining site to the site used for construction.
What's interesting about this technology is its unstable tracks. The track rolls can be directly opened so that FLOAT only requires minimal location preparation.
The cargo-carrying robot will then float and move on the rail.
Robots with no wheels or legs are also their own advantage because they do not have to deal with sharp and destructive regolit.
Meanwhile, the flexible railway line is made of a layer of granite that allows for diamagnetic levitation, while a flexible circuit generates an electromagnetic thrust.
The third layer on the rail is actually optional. The layer is a solar panel so when under the sunlight, the system does not require external energy.
Although the robots may have different sizes, the team estimates that 100 tons of material can be moved several kilometres a day using the robot.
FLOAT is one of NASA's six Advanced Innovative Concepts (NIACs) that have moved to Phase II.
"This diverse and science fiction-like concept gives NASA a lot to think about what might happen in the future," John Nelson, the NIAC program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement.
If this concept continues to show progress, such a transportation system may become an important infrastructure on the Moon by the 2030s.
Source : IFL Science