Context

• NASA has unveiled its ambitious plan to build the first lunar railway system, codenamed the "Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT)" project.
• Its purpose is to provide a "robotic transportation system" to support future lunar activities of astronauts visiting the Moon.

Key Points

• According to NASA's initial design, FLOAT would be for machines only.
• This would involve magnetic robots flying on a three-layer film track to reduce friction from dust on the lunar surface.
• Carts will be installed on these robots and will run at a speed of approximately 1.61 kilometres per hour.
• They can deliver about 100 tons of material per day to NASA's future lunar base.
• This project will use the magnetic levitation technology used in the FLOAT high-speed rail system, developed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.

Benefits

• FLOAT will serve primarily as a transportation service to areas where astronauts are active, carrying lunar soil and other materials to the lunar surface.
• Additionally, it will facilitate the transportation of large amounts of materials and equipment between spacecraft landing sites and base locations.

Integration with Artemis program

• FLOAT is set to play a key role in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972.
• NASA scientists want to build a railway system so that humans can travel longer distances on the Moon.
• It is noteworthy that NASA wants to send humans to the Moon again by 2026 through the Artemis Mission.
• The aim of the said mission is to create a permanent base on the Moon for future space missions.

Important Facts For Exam

The Moon

• Earth's only natural satellite
• The period of rotation of the Moon on its axis is equal to 27.3 Earth days.
• Therefore, when the Moon completes one revolution on its axis, it also completes one revolution around the Earth.
• First man to walk on the moon: Neil Armstrong

NASA

• Founded: 1958
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C, United States America
• Administrator: Bill Nelson