Scientists have confirmed the existence of a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, which could provide shelter for future astronauts.
A research team led by Italians published a report on Monday (July 15th) stating that there is evidence of a fairly large cave on the moon that can be accessed from the deepest known crater. It is located in the Sea of Tranquility, only 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the landing site of Apollo 11.
This crater, like over 200 others found in the area, was formed by the collapse of lava tubes.
The research findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Researchers analyzed radar measurements from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and compared them with lava tubes found on Earth.
Scientists say that the radar data only reveals the initial portion of the discovered underground cavity. They estimate that the cave is at least 130 feet (40 meters) wide, tens of meters long, or even longer.
“For over 50 years, lunar caves have been a mystery,” wrote Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone from the University of Trento in an email to the Associated Press. “Therefore, being able to finally prove the existence of lunar caves is exciting.”
Furthermore, scientists say that most craters appear to be located on the moon’s ancient lava plains. There may also be some in the lunar south pole, where NASA plans to send astronauts later in this decade to land on the moon again.
The craters there have long been shrouded in shadows, believed to hold frozen water that could provide drinking water and rocket fuel.
In NASA’s Apollo program, starting with Armstrong and Aldrin’s moon landing on July 20, 1969, a total of 12 astronauts have walked on the moon.
The research indicates that there may be hundreds of craters and thousands of lava tubes on the moon. The research team says these areas could serve as natural shelters for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays, solar radiation, and impacts from micrometeoroids. Building habitats from scratch would be time-consuming and challenging.