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Spinoff story
Train Analysis
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Running resistance, the combined resistance induced by aerodynamic drag and mechanical friction, absorbs about 16 percent of railroad budget and maintenance costs. In order to study these losses, AT&SF Railroad entered into a joint research project with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Various train configurations were tested when the resulting data was computer analyzed. The Coast-Down Technique was estimated at one percent accuracy. AT&SF is evaluating the data further.