Scientists have uncovered evidence of underground caves on the Moon that humans could potentially use for shelter during a mission to the Earth’s natural satellite.

The idea that the Moon might contain underground conduits stemming from surface pits has been debated for more than 50 years. The pits are thought to have been created as underlying lava tubes collapsed. Whether there remain undiscovered lava tubes offering underground caves is not yet certain, although more than 200 pits have been identified so far.

A new study led by Leonardo Carrer, assistant professor at Italy’s University of Trento, put forward evidence for underground cave conduits originating from an open pit on the Moon based on his group's analysis of radar data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) of the Mare Tranquillitatis Pit - the deepest known pit on the Moon, with a radius of approximately 100 meters.

In 2022, data from the LRO led scientists to conclude that the Moon hosts around 200 "pits" which offer stable and human-friendly temperatures. The pits "always hover around a comfortable 63F/17°C, according to NASA, while surface temperatures can shift between 127C/260F to -173C/-280F during the Lunar day.

After spotting an increase in radar brightness from the west side of the pit in the LRO data, the research team used simulations based on the radar images to suggest results can be explained by the presence of a cave void or conduit expanding from the west side of the pit's bottom. The study, published in Nature Astronomy today, estimates that the caves could be between 130 meters and 170 meters underground and as much as 80 meters long and 45 meters wide.

The researchers suggest their work could be expanded if radar orbital sensors with a resolution able to resolve the interior of all lunar pits identified by LRO were deployed in lunar orbit.

"A complete survey of all known lunar pits would allow us to identify the most promising accesses for subsurface lunar exploration and provide information on the potential for installing human lunar base in environments protected from cosmic radiation and with stable temperatures," the paper says.

The study reckons a similar technique could be used on Mars, where 1,000 cave entrances have already been identified.

Although evidence of lunar caves is just emerging, scientists already have some ideas about how to navigate them. In March last year, University of Arizona electrical and computer engineering professor Wolfgang Fink and his team suggested a rover-and-breadcrumbs system to allow exploration of deep underground caves on the Moon and Mars.

Taking inspiration from Brothers Grimm fairytale Hansel and Gretel, they described a "dynamically deployed communication network" implemented by subterranean rovers controlled and monitored by a mother rover that stays on the surface. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/07/15/evidence_for_moon_caves_emerges/