Scientists Find Cave on Moon That Could House Future Explorers
2024-07-18
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1Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago.
2They suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts.
3An Italian-led team reported recently that there is evidence of a large cave that can be entered from the deepest known pit on the moon.
4It is located at the Sea of Tranquility, just 400 kilometers from Apollo 11's landing site.
5The pit, like the more than 200 others discovered there, was created by the collapse of a lava tube.
6Researchers examined radar measurements by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and compared the results with lava tubes on Earth.
7Their findings appeared in the scientific publication Nature Astronomy.
8The radar data shows only the beginning part of the underground area, the scientists say.
9They estimate it is at least 40 meters wide and tens of meters long, probably more.
10"Lunar caves have remained a mystery for over 50 years. So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence" of one, Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of Italy's University of Trento, wrote in an email.
11Most of the pits seem to be in the moon's ancient lava plains, scientists say.
12There also could be some at the moon's south pole, the planned location of NASA's astronaut landings in the years to come.
13Permanently shadowed craters there are believed to hold frozen water that could provide drinking water and rocket fuel.
14During NASA's Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the moon, beginning with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969.
15The findings suggest there could be hundreds of pits on the moon and thousands of lava tubes.
16Such places could serve as a natural shelter for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays and solar radiation as well as from very small meteorite strikes.
17The act of building living areas from nothing would be more difficult and take more time, even when including the possible need of strengthening the cave walls to prevent a collapse, the team said.
18Rocks and other material inside these caves - unchanged by the difficult surface conditions over the ages - also can help scientists better understand how the moon evolved, especially in terms of its volcanic activity.
19I'm John Russell.
1Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago. 2They suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. 3An Italian-led team reported recently that there is evidence of a large cave that can be entered from the deepest known pit on the moon. It is located at the Sea of Tranquility, just 400 kilometers from Apollo 11's landing site. 4The pit, like the more than 200 others discovered there, was created by the collapse of a lava tube. 5Researchers examined radar measurements by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and compared the results with lava tubes on Earth. Their findings appeared in the scientific publication Nature Astronomy. 6The radar data shows only the beginning part of the underground area, the scientists say. They estimate it is at least 40 meters wide and tens of meters long, probably more. 7"Lunar caves have remained a mystery for over 50 years. So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence" of one, Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of Italy's University of Trento, wrote in an email. 8Most of the pits seem to be in the moon's ancient lava plains, scientists say. There also could be some at the moon's south pole, the planned location of NASA's astronaut landings in the years to come. Permanently shadowed craters there are believed to hold frozen water that could provide drinking water and rocket fuel. 9During NASA's Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the moon, beginning with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969. 10The findings suggest there could be hundreds of pits on the moon and thousands of lava tubes. Such places could serve as a natural shelter for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays and solar radiation as well as from very small meteorite strikes. The act of building living areas from nothing would be more difficult and take more time, even when including the possible need of strengthening the cave walls to prevent a collapse, the team said. 11Rocks and other material inside these caves - unchanged by the difficult surface conditions over the ages - also can help scientists better understand how the moon evolved, especially in terms of its volcanic activity. 12I'm John Russell. 13Marcia Dunn reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 14______________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16cave - n. a natural chamber or series of chambers in the ground 17pit -- n. a hole in the ground, an area sunken below the surrounding surface 18lava - n. molten rock that comes from a volcano or fissure in the surface of a planet 19crater - n. a depression formed by an impact or collision 20evolve -- v. to change or develop by natural processes