NASA plans a railway on the Moon

NASA is working to build a floating robot railway in space. The Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT) project would use magnets to “float” robotic trays on the surface of the Moon, along which astronauts could move materials. In the plans, each floating robot could carry 30 kilograms of cargo on the tracks. On Earth, railways are securely fixed to the ground, but NASA’s new magnetised tracks could just be rolled out, leaving no damage to the Moon’s surface. Scientists at NASA hope the railway will help with its “Moon to Mars” programme. This includes plans to build a permanent base on the Moon, where future missions to Mars will launch from. Ethan Schaler, a robotics engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says that setting up a robotic transport system…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 442

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