NASA wants to build a train on the MOON for when humans eventually live there

If the idea of building a train on the moon sounds like something from the pages of a sci-fi novel, you wouldn't be alone. But the moon train is actually just one of six'science fiction-like concepts' to receive new funding from NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program. Flexible Levitation on a Track, or FLOAT, plans to use levitating magnetic robots to transport up to 100 tonnes of materials on the lunar surface every day. According to the team behind the Scalextric-like project, this would provide a reliable and autonomous way of moving resources mined on the moon. Project leader Dr Ethan Schaler, a robotics engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says: 'A durable, long-life robotic transport system will be critical to the daily operations of a sustainable lunar base in the 2030's'.