Scientists confirm discovery of cave on Moon – and suspect it could house future astronauts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts.

An Italian-led team reported Monday that there is evidence of a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known sinkhole on the moon. It is located in the Sea of ​​Tranquility, just 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the Apollo 11 landing site.

The pit, like more than 200 others discovered up there, was created by the collapse of a lava tube.

The researchers analyzed radar measurements from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and compared the results to lava tubes on Earth. Their findings appeared in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The radar data reveals only the initial part of the underground cavity, according to the scientists. They estimate it to be at least 130 feet (40 meters) wide and dozens of yards (meters) long, possibly more.

“The lunar caves have remained a mystery for more than 50 years. So it was exciting to finally be able to prove the existence of one, Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of the University of Trento wrote in an email.

Most of the craters appear to be located in the moon’s ancient lava fields, according to scientists.

There may also be some at the moon’s south pole, the planned landing site for NASA astronauts later this decade.

The permanently shadowed craters there are believed to hold frozen water that could provide drinking water and rocket fuel.

During NASA’s Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the Moon, starting with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969.

The findings suggest there may be hundreds of craters on the moon and thousands of lava tubes.

Such places can serve as a natural shelter for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays and solar radiation, as well as from micrometeor impacts.

Building the habitats from scratch would be more time-consuming and challenging, even when considering the potential need to reinforce the cave walls to prevent a collapse, the team said.

The rocks and other materials inside these caves—unaltered by the harsh surface conditions over the ages—can also help scientists better understand how the moon evolved, especially including its volcanic activity.