Railway tracks on Moon? NASA shares plan; all you need to know

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Northern Lights: Why do we get auroras on Earth after eruptions occur on Sun? NASA says THIS Moreover, NASA has proposed a solution for transporting regolith mined for ISRU consumables (H2O, LOX, LH2) or construction materials, as well as for moving payloads around the lunar base and to/from landing zones or other outposts. They introduce FLOAT — Flexible Levitation on a Track — to address these transportation needs. The FLOAT system utilizes unpowered magnetic robots that levitate over a 3-layer flexible film track.

This track comprises a graphite layer for passive floating using diamagnetic levitation, a flex-circuit layer for generating electromagnetic thrust to propel robots along the tracks, and an optional thin-film solar panel layer for power generation when exposed to sunlight. Also Read: NASA Hubble shares photo of Rubin's Galaxy while remembering Vera Rubin, ‘Mother of Dark Matter’, on Mother's Day 2024 FLOAT robots, devoid of moving parts, minimize lunar dust abrasion/wear by levitating over the track, unlike lunar robots equipped with wheels, legs, or tracks. NASA noted that in Phase 2, “We will continue to retire risks related to the manufacture, deployment, control, and long-term operation of meter-scale robots / km-scale tracks that support human exploration (HEO) activities on the Moon," by accomplishing the following key tasks: 1.

Design, manufacture, and test a series of sub-scale robot/track prototypes, culminating with a demonstration in a lunar-analogue testbed. Also Read: Can we grow plants on Moon? NASA's Artemis III mission plans to study possibilities; all you need to know 2. Investigate the impacts of environmental effects on system performance and longevity.