3 ms·

What benefits does a U-shaped track have over traditionnal rails?

• lisper 10y ago
  The reason the hyperloop is attractive is that it's effectively "flying" at low pressure, which is equivalent to flying at high altitude, which lets it operate effectively like a jet airplane. On Mars you can do the same thing in a U-shaped track because of the thin atmosphere. You would be "flying" on a very thin cushion of atmosphere between the vehicle and the track. That has much less friction than a rail, and so you can go much faster.
• Pxtl 10y ago
  Musk's true hyperloop design isn't a train like the Hyperloop One company is proposing, but a sort of low-pressure ramjet hovercraft in a hose. On Mars, you don't need the top half of the hose because it's already low-pressure, so the ramjet hovercraft could run in an open-air trough.