Far from home
Since the Apollo missions more than half a century ago, scientists have suspected that the lunar surface is riddled with an extensive network of tunnels.
But despite our best efforts, we have not been able to definitively confirm their existence – until now.
Scientists from the University of Trento in Italy have used advanced data analysis tools to examine radar reflections, providing the “first direct evidence of an accessible lava tube beneath the moon’s surface,” said Lorenzo Bruzzone, a professor at the University of Trento and co-author of a paper new paper published in the magazine Nature Astronomy.
“These caves have been theorized about for over 50 years, but this is the first time we have demonstrated their existence,” he explained in a rack.
The research highlights the possibility that future humans could build permanent bases in these tunnels.
For example, a cave at least 100 meters deep could protect astronauts from radiation, extreme temperature swings, and micrometeoroid showers – and allow for a more permanent presence on the moon.
Shelter Skelter
Bruzzone and his colleague Leonardo Carrer, an assistant professor at the University of Trento, used radar data collected in 2010 by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to peer beneath the surface of Mare Tranquilitatis, a vast basin formed by lava flows. It was the landing site of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to the lunar surface 55 years ago.
“Years later, we reanalyzed these data using complex signal processing techniques that we recently developed. We discovered radar reflections from the area of the well that could best be explained by an underground cave conduit,” Bruzzone said in the statement.
“Thanks to the analysis of the data, we were able to model part of the conduit,” Carrer added. “The most likely explanation for our observations is an empty lava tube.”
The discovered cave has a small skylight leading to a sloping floor and dates back millions to billions of years, when flowing lava tore holes in the moon’s surface.
The researchers are confident that their research can contribute to our efforts to establish a base on the moon.
“After all, life on Earth began in caves, so it makes sense that people could live in caves on the moon,” Carrer said told the BBC.
Scientists still hope jumping robots or drones to the moon to explore these lava tubes, which could tell us whether they are suitable for human habitation. Other research by NASA scientists suggests that some of these tunnels sits around a comfortable 63 degrees Fahrenheitwhich indicates that it is an excellent hiding place for people.
And it’s not just the US: China is also exploring the feasibility of a base in one of these lava tubes, in another sign that the race is on.
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