Tuesday, January 20, 2015

SpaceX Founder Proposes High-Speed Intercity Transit System


Artist's conception of the capsule of the proposed, high-speed 'Hyperloop' intercity transportation system, as envisioned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk. (Image Source: Elon Musk / SpaceX)

By Elizabeth Palermo, LiveScience.com

The Lone Star State could soon be the new testing ground for the most futuristic transportation system in the world.

On Jan. 15, Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced a preliminary plan to build a test track for the Hyperloop, his proposed high-speed transport system, in Texas. Musk first revealed the idea for this "fifth mode of transportation" (i.e., not a car, train, plane or boat) in August 2013. Since then, the billionaire entrepreneur has been fairly tight-lipped about how the project is coming along.

But during a speech at the Texas Transportation Forum last week, Musk said he is planning to build a 5-mile (8 kilometers) track to test prototype versions of the pods that could one day travel the Hyperloop at speeds of up to 760 mph (1,220 km/h). After the announcement, Musk tweeted that the track will likely be built in Texas and will be "for companies and student teams to test out their pods."

Musk says the Hyperloop is a great solution for traveling between congested cities that aren't very far apart (no farther than 900 miles, or 1,450 kilometers apart, to be exact). The transport system could get passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in just 30 minutes, according to Musk, who outlined the basic design of the system in a paper posted to the SpaceX website in August 2013.

More - Link >>> http://www.livescience.com/49498-hyperloop-test-track.html

More on the proposed Hyperloop high-speed, intercity transit system:
Link 1 >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop
Link 2 >>> http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/hyperloop_alpha.pdf

Source: LiveScience.com .

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

1 comment:

  1. This will be so great, not just reducing traffic conjunctions between cities, but also reducing dependence on short flight, which will make it unnecessary. It will also reduce time scale travelling on the roads. As half an hour (probably more) could be spent on the road in just one city and which can cause great depression to drivers. Also additional values could come up which we don't know now. But all sort of hazardous maters+solutions have to be kept in the foreheads. My wishes for Space X CEO Elon Musk successes to bring out his progressive historic-al vision that will revolutionize the world transport system in this early 21st century. As in the future we will see this sort of tubes over vast lands and under the sea between countries and continents that will enhance quick communications and exchange education based on noble values, understanding, friendship and peace between nations of this planet, before we embark to outer space. I pray for that to come soon.

    ReplyDelete