Space travel is slowly becoming a reality for people across the globe. Now, 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 take a moment for this information to sync in, as it happens, the plans to build a bullet train are in motion.
Is space travel possible on Japan's bullet train?
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 would involve a “space train” that travels between the Earth, the moon, and Mars, stopping at stations on orbiting satellites.
How will bullet trains designed for space travel work?
The special trains have been envisioned to be as large as Japanese 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. A university department explained the idea saying, “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."
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Bullet trains for space travel may take a century to build
As fascinating as the idea of the bullet train travelling to space and back may sound, the development may take as much as 100 years. However, the researchers are aiming to build a prototype by 2050.
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Netizens react to bullet train travelling through space
Internet users expressed their enthusiasm about this one-of-a-kind bullet train that will travel in space. One of the social media users wrote, "A very impressive engineering design I would say, I'm sure the future in the long term may be totally different from our current reality, perhaps an unbelievable nature will ever be a new reality (sic)." Another one commented, "This is amazing however I can't even imagine the costs involved! Trillions? Not to mention how much would it cost to ship a boat to the moon? Lol (sic)."
