Railroad tracks on the moon? NASA stock plan; everything you need to know

In its official blog, NASA said this sustainable robotic transportation system will be essential to the daily operations of a sustainable lunar base planned for the 2030s, as part of NASA's Moon to Mars initiative and mission concepts such as the Robotic Lunar Surface. Operation 2 (RLSO2).

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Additionally, 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 moon base and to/from landing zones or other outposts.

They introduce FLOAT (Flexible Levitation on a Track) to meet these transportation needs.

What is FLOAT?

The FLOAT system uses unpowered magnetic robots that float over a flexible three-layer film track. This track includes a graphite layer for passive levitation 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.

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FLOAT robots, with no moving parts, minimize the wear/wear of lunar dust by floating over the track, unlike lunar robots that are equipped with wheels, legs, or tracks.

What will happen in Phase 2?

NASA noted that in Phase 2, “We will continue to retire the risks associated with the production, deployment, control, and long-term operation of meter-scale robots/kilometer-scale tracks that support human exploration (HEO) activities on the Moon. ” by carrying out the following core tasks:

1. Design, fabricate, and test a series of subscale robot/track prototypes, culminating in a demonstration in a lunar analog testbed.

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2. Investigate the impact of environmental effects on system performance and lifespan.

3. Investigate/define a technology roadmap to address technology gaps and develop manufacturing capacity for critical hardware.

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Published: May 14, 2024 09:05 IST