Lunar cave discovery could enable human settlement

Researchers suggest that there may be hundreds of similar caves in the "unexplored regions" of the Moon.

Nations are racing to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon. However, protecting astronauts from radiation, extreme temperatures, and space conditions is a challenging task.

Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut to go to space, told the BBC that the newly discovered cave could be an excellent location for a base, and suggested that humans could live in these lunar pits within the next 20-30 years.

However, Sharman noted that the pit is "very deep" and that astronauts might need special equipment to reach the base, such as rocket packs or some type of elevator.

Lorenzo Bruzzone and Leonardo Carrer from the University of Trento in Italy discovered the cave using radar. The cave is located in the Mare Tranquillitatis plain.

Known as the "Sea of Tranquility," this plain is visible from Earth with the naked eye and is historically significant as the first spot visited by humans on another celestial body.

The cave's floor might be more extensive than initially thought.

This pit was formed millions or billions of years ago when flowing lava created a tunnel within the rock on the Moon's surface.

Prof. Carrer remarked that the most similar structure to this cave can be found in the volcanic caves of Lanzarote, Spain, which researchers have also studied.

"This is truly exciting. When you make such a discovery and look at the photos, you realize you are the first person in human history to see it," said Prof. Carrer.

Upon understanding the cave's size, researchers recognized its potential as a suitable base location.

"Ultimately, life on Earth also began in caves. It makes sense for humans to survive in caves on the Moon," Carrer said.

The cave has not been fully explored, but researchers believe radar, cameras, and robots could be used to map it.

Scientists suspected the existence of similar caves on the Moon's surface about 50 years ago. In 2010, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft captured images of pits that could be cave entrances.

At the time, little was known about the depth or collapse potential of these caves.

The work of Prof. Bruzzone and Prof. Carrer provides clearer answers to these questions.

Francesco Sauro from the European Space Agency stated, "We have very good images of the surface; we can see the region where Apollo landed, but we don't know what's beneath the surface. We have a great opportunity to explore."

He added that this research could also be pioneering for understanding caves on Mars, which could be crucial for studying signs of life on the Red Planet.

The cave discovered on the Moon could aid in human settlement and help us better understand the Moon's history and geological phases. The rocks within the cave, less affected by space conditions, have the potential to preserve billions of years of geological records.

The research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.