Images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have revealed a lava tube that could serve as a home for a future colony on the Moon. Researchers from the University of Trento identified the tunnel, the first discovered that's accessible from the lunar subsurface.
"These caves have been theorized for over 50 years, but it is the first time ever that we have demonstrated their existence," said Lorenzo Bruzzone, professor at the University of Trento.
The cave is located in Mare Tranquillitatis, the lava plain where Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the Moon in 1969. Radar data suggests the cabe is 45 meters wide and up to 80 meters long.
This discovery could be hugely beneficial for future Moon missions given the extreme challenges posed by the lunar environment. Temperatures can swing from 127°C in sunlight to -173°C in darkness, while radiation levels can be up to 150 times stronger than on Earth. Meanwhile, there's a continuous risk of falling meterorites.
"The main advantage of caves is that they make available the main structural parts of a possible human base without requiring complex construction activities," University of Trent researcher Leonardo Carrer told The Guardian.
Previously:
• On the anniversary of the first moon landing: The case for building a settlement on the moon
• That first plant grown on the moon? Already dead.
