NASA says deep craters on the moon could lead to caves. The study reveals amazing details
The moon is getting a bit more mysterious, with NASA news suspecting that shaded vents on the surface may be entrances to hidden caves.
Even stranger, these craters host comfortable temperatures for humans: 63 degrees, scientists say.
The discovery, announced on July 26, is reminiscent of a classic science fiction novel, in which H.G. Wells’ “First Men in the Moon” envisioned lunar caves as suitable for hosting “intelligent life forms.”
NASA-funded scientists calculated crater temperatures using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
“The craters, and the caverns that would lead to them, would make thermally stable sites for lunar exploration compared to regions on the moon, which warm to 260 degrees Fahrenheit (about 127 degrees Celsius) during the day and cool to 280 degrees Fahrenheit (about minus 173 degrees Celsius) in night,” NASA reported.
Craters on the Moon were first discovered in 2009, and since then, scientists have wondered if they led to caves that could be explored or used as shelters. The craters or caves will also provide some protection from cosmic rays, solar radiation and micro-meteorology.”
NASA has documented more than 200 craters on the moon’s surface and “two of the most prominent have outcrops that clearly lead to caves or voids.”
Sixteen of the craters are thought to be “collapsed lava tubes,” according to Tyler Horvath, the planetary science doctoral student who led the new research.
Experts say lava tubes form when lava flows leave long tunnels behind. In some cases, the roofs collapse, creating an entrance “to the rest of the cave-like tube”.
“Knowing that they create a stable thermal environment helps us paint a picture of these unique lunar features and the prospect of one day exploring them,” said Noah Petro, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Project scientist, in a statement.
The study used thermal camera data collected from a depression 328 feet deep “about the length and width of a football field.”
The results showed that temperatures in the “permanently shaded reaches of the crater fluctuate only slightly throughout the lunar day, remaining at around 63 degrees Fahrenheit”.
Scientists believe this happens because the “drop shade” acts like a porch, “reducing the heat of things during the day and preventing heat from radiating away at night.”
NASA concluded that “if the cave extended from the bottom of the crater, as the images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera indicate, the temperature would be relatively comfortable.”
NASA says a “lunar day” is equivalent to about 15 Earth days, with “extremely cold” nights and daytime conditions “hot enough to boil water” at the surface.