Moon caves could house future astronauts, scientists say
FILE-A plane flies past the moon at sunset. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A cave on the moon confirmed by scientists could be a shelter for future astronauts.
On Monday, the team reported evidence of a large cave near where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on July 20, 1969, accessible from the deepest known pit on the moon, located at the Sea of Tranquility, roughly 250 miles from Apollo 11’s landing site, the Associated Press reported.
Scientists noted that most of the pits are in the moon’s lava plains, and some may be at the moon’s south pole, the planned location of NASA’s astronaut landings.
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The team also told the AP that the findings suggest there might be hundreds of pits on the moon and thousands of lava tubes.
These areas could become a refuge for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays and solar radiation.
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However, scientists explained to the AP that building homes from the ground up will create challenges and require a lot of time when considering the need for bolstering the cave walls to stop them from crumbling.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.