Researchers Discover A Cave on the Moon

It may be part of a cave system and could make an ideal space camp for astronauts.

Hiya!

It wasn’t all that long ago that I wrote about a lava tube in Saudi Arabia that humans have periodically occupied over the last 7,000 years. Of course, it’s not the only lava tube or cave that our ancestors have resided in. Caves worldwide make fantastic shelters that protect from natural elements like storms and heat.

So, perhaps it’s unsurprising that scientists think caves may serve a similar purpose for space exploration. After all, if caves can protect humans and other animals on Earth, then it stands to reason caves on, say, Mars or the Moon could be the ideal locations to set up a home base for astronauts as they explore whatever non-Earth object they’re sent to study. It’s a reasonable idea, but it’s only recently become more than an idea.

First Thought

During a volcanic eruption on Earth, lava surges to the surface from underground chambers, creating and filling passages. Cooler elements from the surface solidify the magma around the perimeter of the tubes as the hotter magma filling the cave rushes through. As the eruption ends, lava drains from the surface back to the chambers underground, leaving tunnels that can stretch for miles and miles, which we call lava tubes.

Dark grey and porous basalt is one of the most common rock types on Earth and is formed when lava rich in iron and magnesium cools. Understandably, most lava tubes are found in and around basaltic volcano complexes, especially shield volcanoes, which are broad and flat as opposed to tall and mountainous.

So when NASA’s Apollo Missions 11, 12, and 15 collectively brought back 134 samples of moon rocks, with more following future missions, scientists were intrigued to discover the rocks were made of basaltic lava. This finding inspired experts to wonder whether the same process that creates that type of rock on Earth might operate on the Moon, too. If so, the Moon should have land formations similar to Earth's, including lava tubes and caves.

If the Moon has caves similar to Earth's, they could presumably provide shelter for astronauts. Instead of rain, lunar caves should protect astronauts from solar radiation and cosmic rays, not to mention pesty micrometeorite strikes. They could also save astronauts time and resources because they wouldn’t need to build their shelters from scratch.

Further, as on Earth, caves elsewhere could provide more stable temperatures than astronauts would have to deal with on the surface. For instance, NASA reports:

Temperatures near the Moon’s equator can spike to 250°F (121°C) in daylight, then plummet after nightfall to -208°F (-133°C). In deep craters near the Moon’s poles, permanent shadows keep the surface even colder — NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has measured temperatures lower than -410°F (-246°C).

Meanwhile, a space camp in a cave should presumably provide more stable temperatures. Still, exciting ideas about caves on the Moon remained theoretical for decades.

First Sightings