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Caves could be a moon base - 5th August 2024

Although it’s been over fifty years since Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon, no permanent lunar base has been established. Now, the discovery of a cave below the lunar surface offers a new hope for advancing space exploration.

The cave entrance was first spotted in 2010 by Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. However, it was analysis by planetary scientists in Italy, at the University of Trento, that revealed the tunnels using radar data and computer simulations.

The cave, situated in the Sea of Tranquility, isn’t far from the historic Apollo 11 landing site. The cave mouth is around 100 metres wide and reaches down 130 to 170 metres. Its tunnels could house a future lunar base as the lack of atmosphere on the moon’s surface presents significant dangers. Surface temperatures vary from 121 degrees in the light to minus 133 at night and regular impacts from asteroids are a danger to any building above ground.

One particular cave’s been estimated at up to 80 metres in length and 45 metres wide, providing enough space for the construction of multiple lunar houses. With this infrastructure for longer human missions, the possibility of future space exploration from the moon increases.

It’s thought that the caves are old lava tubes, which were formed when the moon was still hot, millions of years ago. There are hopes of finding more caves closer to the lunar poles. Featuring more shade as well as ice deposits, the poles provide a key requirement for a human settlement: water.

China and India have both landed spacecraft on the moon in recent years, joining the US, Russia and Japan with claims to the moon’s resources. However, with many commercial companies also heading into space, this could kickstart a race to colonise the moon as further caves are discovered.