posted 03-19-2024 10:32 AM               

Northrop Grumman to Develop Concept for Lunar Railroad

Northrop Grumman has been selected by DARPA to further develop the concept of building a moon-based railroad network as part of the broader 10-year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Study. The envisioned lunar railroad network could transport humans, supplies and resources for commercial ventures across the lunar surface – contributing to a space economy for the United States and international partners.

Northrop Grumman's study will:

• Define the interfaces and resources required to build a lunar rail network.

• Establish a critical list of foreseeable cost, technological and logistical risks.

• Identify prototypes, demonstrations and analyses of a fully operating lunar rail system's concept design and architecture.

• Explore concepts for constructing and operating the system with robotics, including grading and foundation preparation, track placement and alignment, joining and finishing, inspection, maintenance and repair.

Expert:

Chris Adams, vice president and general manager, strategic space systems, Northrop Grumman: "This investment in key developmental research keeps our technology at the forefront of next generation solutions. With our proven experience in the integration of complex systems and commercialized autonomous services, we will continue to create lasting change for a sustainable space ecosystem."

Details:

DARPA's LunA-10 Capability Study is designed to quickly create new technology ideas shifting from individual scientific projects to shared, scalable systems that work together. The goal is to establish an analytical framework for integrated lunar infrastructure that minimizes lunar footprint and provides commercial services for future lunar users. Learn more about Northrop Grumman's civil and commercial space capabilities and programs.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers' toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.

posted 03-19-2024 11:17 AM               

What, if anything do Northrop Grumman know about gauge corner wear, track ballast, track drift, rail cant, end throw, cant deficiency and a 1001 other technical aspects of permanent way construction, inspection and maintenance?

Railway construction and operation is a specialised field. Why not employ specialists in that field to conduct the study?

There seems to be a trend in the modern world whereby firms with 'expertise' in random subjects are given license to actuate operations in areas completely outside of their comfort zones. In most cases, unhappiness arises.

In the UK, I can mention Serco running railtrack maintenance and then thinking they can operate a rubbish collection bin service.

posted 03-19-2024 01:04 PM               

...the goal of making a viable Maglev system was pursued by Grumman. This commitment was not matched by the Federal government. Despite the passage of a Maglev prototype development authorization (as part of the ISTEA bill) by the Congress in 1991, no money was ever appropriated for this project. As a consequence of the lack of commitment of federal funding, Grumman (now Northrop Grumman) was forced to stop working on Maglev.

This paper describes the state of the work that was performed, and how far technically the Grumman design evolved. The most exciting aspect of this design was the testing of a high temperature superconducting magnet operating at the temperature of liquid Nitrogen (77 Kelvin). This magnet was built for Grumman by American Superconductor Corporation of Westborough Massachusetts. The successful testing of this high Tc magnet means that the goal of building a simple, inexpensive, and high lift iron core superconducting magnets that will operate with a 2 inch air gap is no longer a far off possibility - it can be done right now. This technological breakthrough offers the potential first application of high Tc superconductors.

posted 03-19-2024 04:59 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Axman:
Railway construction and operation is a specialised field. Why not employ specialists in that field to conduct the study?

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