Picture this: The year is 2121. Commercial flights are available to the moon. A woman has set foot on Mars. Satellite imagery of the United States is dotted with giant white hyperloop tunnels containing the latest in highspeed transportation technology that ties the world together like giant loops of string. And all of this is thanks, in large part, to West Virginia.
We laugh a bit at such a far-fetched painting of the future, but it might not be as ludicrous as you'd expect. West Virginia's children have already contributed mightily to technological advancements in space and transportation fields, including (but not limited to) famous figures like Katherine Johnson (pictured) and Homer Hickam, Jr.
Virgin Hyperloop, a company at the cutting edge of the next revolution in highspeed travel, just announced their plan to open a brand new Hyperloop Certification Center right here in West Virginia - a huge step in the dream of making highspeed transport a reality in America.
You may have seen a headline or two about that announcement when it was released. But, you may have wondered, what is a Hyperloop? Hyperloop is the latest in highspeed technology, poised to connect the nation in minutes instead of hours by utilizing electric propulsion and electromagnetic levitation under near-vacuum conditions.
These specialized conditions are made possible by huge, advanced tunnels that Virgin Hyperloop expects to one day stretch around the world. Currently, they have constructed one of these tunnels in California to use for testing and development.
Spacious, comfortable, aerodynamic transportation pods will run inside of these tunnels, hurtling you through time and space to wherever you need to go.
We know this technology sounds amazing and we know West Virginia will benefit with the construction of the Hyperloop Certification Center, bringing jobs and dollars to our local economy. But, here's another burning question: Will the hyperloop itself come to West Virginia? The answer is maybe someday.
In fact, Virgin Hyperloop does hope to one day connect the Midwest from Chicago to Pittsburgh, including passing through a small portion of West Virginia, but there are still plenty of hoops for them to jump through in order to make that dream a reality. We're just happy to have a front row seat to watch this exciting new progress!
What do you think of this new Hyperloop Certification Center coming to West Virginia? To read the press release for yourself about Virgin Hyperloop’s plans for their new West Virginia facility, head to their Facebook page here. You can also peruse their website here.
And if things don’t go as planned, and by 2121 you need to know the best places in West Virginia to hide in a Zombie Apocalypse instead, well, you can find those here.
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