Newly discovered cave system on the moon could host lunar base
- 7 years ago
MOON — A cavernous lava tube was this week confirmed to exist beneath the surface of the moon.
The discovery was after by a team of Japanese and American scientists using data from the SELENE and GRAIL spacecraft to acoustically map the enormous lava tube.
These tubes are volcanic underground passages formed by flowing lava to funnel the substance. Once the flow stops, the tube remains with features similar to a cave.
The chasm is around 100 meters wide and 50 kilometers long, reported the Guardian. It is located in the Marius Hills region of the celestial body.
The cave could provide shelter to astronauts during moon missions, protecting them from dangerous cosmic radiation. This could potentially allow for the development of a lunar exploration base.
Details of the finding was published in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters.
The discovery was after by a team of Japanese and American scientists using data from the SELENE and GRAIL spacecraft to acoustically map the enormous lava tube.
These tubes are volcanic underground passages formed by flowing lava to funnel the substance. Once the flow stops, the tube remains with features similar to a cave.
The chasm is around 100 meters wide and 50 kilometers long, reported the Guardian. It is located in the Marius Hills region of the celestial body.
The cave could provide shelter to astronauts during moon missions, protecting them from dangerous cosmic radiation. This could potentially allow for the development of a lunar exploration base.
Details of the finding was published in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters.