A cave discovered on the Moon could be used as a shelter.

On July 15th, a team led by Italians reported evidence of a large, accessible cave system located in a crater on the Moon. It lies in the Sea of ​​Tranquility, approximately 400 km from the Apollo landing site.

Similar to over 200 other sinkholes discovered there, this one was formed by the collapse of a lava cave.

Scientists say there is a cave on the Moon that could be a home for future astronauts. Photo: AP

Researchers analyzed radar measurements from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and compared the results to those of lava caves on Earth. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

According to scientists, radar data only revealed the beginning of this underground cave. They estimate it is at least 40 meters wide and tens of meters long, possibly even more.

"Cave on the Moon has remained a mystery for over 50 years. So it's exciting to finally be able to prove the existence of a cave," said Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of the University of Trento.

According to scientists, most of the craters appear to be located in the Moon's ancient lava plains. There may also be some craters at the Moon's south pole, the planned landing site for NASA astronauts later this decade. Craters there are thought to contain frozen water, which could provide drinking water and rocket fuel.

These findings suggest there may be hundreds of craters on the Moon and thousands of lava caves. Such places could serve as natural shelters for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays and solar radiation, as well as small meteorite impacts.

The research team said that building a habitat inside the cave would initially be time-consuming and challenging, especially considering the need to reinforce the cave walls to prevent them from collapsing.

The rocks and other materials inside these caves have remained unaltered by the harsh surface conditions over the ages. This could help scientists better understand how the Moon evolved, particularly its volcanic activity.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phat-hien-hang-dong-tren-mat-trang-co-the-lam-noi-cu-tru-cua-phi-hanh-gia-post303612.html