Moon cave discovery sheds light on future astronaut shelters

Scientists have confirmed the existence of a cave on the Moon, where astronauts could shelter.

They analysed radar measurements taken in 2010 by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Their discovery was described in an article published in the journal "Nature Astronomy."

Researchers have described the cave in detail. It is located 400 kilometres (about 250 miles) from the Apollo 11 landing site. Only the initial part of the underground cavity is visible. According to scientists, it is at least 40 metres (about 131 feet) wide and several hundred metres (about 650 feet) long, or possibly more.

- Lunar caves have remained a mystery for over 50 years. So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence - said Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone from the University of Trento in an interview with the Associated Press.

According to them, similar cavities may be located at the Moon’s south pole, where NASA plans to land astronauts later this decade. It is anticipated that shaded craters and cavities may contain frozen water.

Natural caves may serve as shelters for astronauts in the future, protecting them from cosmic and solar radiation and micrometeorite impacts. However, as the research team assessed, building settlements on the Moon's surface will be more time-consuming and challenging than reinforcing cave walls.

Analysing rocks and other materials inside the caves can also help better understand how the Moon evolved, especially concerning its previous volcanic activity.

During NASA's Apollo programme, 12 astronauts landed on the Moon. The first was Armstrong and Aldrin, who reached the Moon on 20 July 1969.