United States: Scientists have discovered an underground cave on the moon near the spot where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down 55 years ago.
They believe there are hundreds more caves that could one-day house astronauts. On Monday, a group of scientists led by Italians reported finding evidence of a sizable cave that may be accessed from the moon’s deepest known pit. The Sea of Tranquilly is home to the cave, which is 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Apollo 11 landing site.
According to scientists, the hole was formed by the collapse of a lava tube, just like more than 200 other pits that have been found on the moon.
The experts conclude that the radar data only show the first portion of the subsurface hollow. They calculated that it is tens of yards (metres) long and at least 40 metres (130 feet) wide, if not more.
The researchers also said that they examined radar data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and compared the findings with Earth’s lava tubes in a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Furthermore, the experts believe that most of the pits are situated in the old lava plains of the moon. Additionally, there might be some on the moon’s south pole, where NASA intends to land astronauts later this decade.
There are considered permanently shadowed craters that contain frozen water that might be used as rocket fuel and drinking water.
The results also revealed the possibility of thousands of lava tubes and hundreds of pits on the moon. According to the research team, these locations could act as a natural shelter for astronauts, shielding them from solar radiation, cosmic rays, and micrometeorite impacts.
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