Japan Reveals Plans For Bullet Train To Mars and The Moon
Space Travel, something that has always been a dream of some, a sci-fi fantasy, can finally be turned into a reality if the claims made by Japan are indeed true. If the latest reports are to be believed then Japan, a country known for its innovation and cutting-edge technology, may ferry passengers between Earth, the Moon, and Mars on a bullet train specially designed for the purpose of space travel. While it may not happen immediately, or in the near future, the plans for making a bullet train capable of such a task are put in motion.
The Capsule Link
Researchers from the Human Spaceology Centre at Kyoto University and construction company Kajima Corporation unveiled their plans to design to bullet train for space travel in a press conference earlier in July. The transportation system called the Hexagon Space Track System, or “Hexatrack” would involve a “space train” that travels between the Earth, the moon, and Mars, stopping at stations on orbiting satellites. Hexatrack would maintain a gravity of 1G during long-distance travel to lessen the effects of extended exposure to low gravity. The trains will also have hexagonal-shaped capsules called the 'Hexacapsules' with a moving device in the middle.
Characteristics of the Capsule
The proposal made by Japanese Researchers says that a mini-capsule with a 15-meter radius will link the Earth and the Moon. For connecting the moon and Mars, a 30-meter radius capsule will be needed. The capsule will employ the kind of electromagnetic technology used by the Maglev trains in Germany and China.
Intergalactic Stations
The station on the moon will use a gateway satellite known as Lunar Station, and the train station on Mars will be called the Mars station. The mars station will be situated on the Martian satellite Phobos. The Earth station will be called Terra Station and it will be the successor space station to the International Space Station (ISS). The space train, known as Space Express, would operate on a standard gauge track.
Design of Bullet Trains for Space Travel
These special trains are being made to be as large as the original bullet trains and would be launched with linear motors or rocket engines. The train’s six cars would be separated at the stations and transported in hexagon capsules. Researchers at the Kyoto University made a statement which said; “When launching into space, each vehicle is connected by a bar to maintain straightness. When you arrive at the base station, you will be separated by one car each. Rocket ejection devices are installed on the leading and trailing vehicles, respectively, to ‘accelerate’ in outer space and escape the gravitational sphere of each planet”.
The estimated time frame of completion
As fascinating as the idea of the bullet train traveling to space and back may sound, the development may take more than 100 years, as this groundbreaking innovation would be unprecedented. However, the researchers are aiming to build a prototype by 2050.
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