image credit:NAsa
Scientists have long thought that the moon might have caves, which are underground passageways made by volcanoes and linked to the pits that cover the moon’s surface. Now, a group of researchers from around the world has found the first direct proof that the moon’s deepest pit leads to a cave that astronauts could use for protection.
Finding places on the moon that can protect people and robot explorers from the harsh lunar environment, which includes strong radiation and very high temperatures, could be very important for future space exploration, especially as countries like the US and China race to put people on Earth’s nearest natural satellite for good.
To find the cave, the team looked at old radar readings of a pit in a large area called Mare Tranquillitatis, also known as the Sea of Tranquility, which is where Apollo 11 landed in 1969.
In 2010, the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter used bands to find out what was below the surface of the moon. According to their study, which came out Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, the researchers found empty space 130 to 170 meters (426 to 558 feet) below the surface.
The new cave is at least 45 meters (nearly 148 feet) wide and between 30 and 80 meters (98 and 262 feet) long. It may only be the beginning of a longer tube cavity made by lava, and researchers say there are probably more caves to be found.
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