Researchers discover moon cave, potential astronauts' base

World
Europe

Researchers confirmed on Wednesday that an enormous cavern exists beneath the moon’s surface, providing hope for a potential astronauts’ lunar base in future probes, announced the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Measuring about 50 kilometers long and 100 meters wide, it is located in the Marius Hills area on the near side of the moon – an area with a group of volcanic domes, according to statistics released by JAXA’s Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE), or Kaguya, a lunar orbiter.

The cavern is believed to have been a lava tube created by volcanic activity some 3.5 billion years ago, in which the melted rocks on the outer layer had cooled and hardened while the ones inside kept hot and flowing.

Since the expansive cavity has not collapsed, it may serve as a possible shelter to protect astronauts from the sun’s radiation and cosmic rays, as well as menacing temperature, during their explorations.

The Marius Hills on the near side of the moon /JAXA Photo

In 2009 Kaguya first found a large hole in the Marius Hills area that descends about 50 meters below the moon’s surface. It also has an opening that is about 50 meters wide in diameter.

Data collected later by the lunar probing team using a radar sounder suggested that an underground structure lies in the shaft’s west, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

Wednesday’s study also indicates that there is the possibility of ice or water in rocks within the cave discovered, which could be used as fuel for future lunar explorers.

It is widely agreed by scientists that the moon had experienced a large-scale volcanic activity until about 1 billion years ago.