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2024-07-17 Science & Technology

A cave has been discovered on the Moon that could become a base for humans

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Researchers have discovered evidence of the existence of a cave on the Moon that could become a refuge for people from the harsh conditions of the Moon and a base for living. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Nature.

"Several potential underground openings, called lunar pits, have been found on the lunar surface. These pits may be promising locations for future lunar bases, as they could provide shelter from the harsh lunar surface and support long-term human exploration of the Moon," the study says.

A team of scientists from Italy and the United States conducted a study that analyzed data collected by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). They found that the Sea of Tranquility, the deepest known cavity on the Moon, leads to a cave about 45 meters wide and about 77 meters long, located about 150 meters below the surface.

According to the study, further direct exploration of the cave could confirm the presence of a stable underground environment, protected from radiation, with optimal temperature conditions for future human use. However, it remains unclear whether any of the more than 200 lunar pits found at various latitudes on the Moon could lead to such caves.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Xinhua agency reported that the Chinese probe Chang'e-6 with lunar soil returned to Earth. According to its assessment, Chang'e-6 has become one of China's most difficult space exploration missions. The device landed on the far side of the Moon on June 2 and carried out sample collection work. On June 4, it launched from the Moon with samples and entered lunar orbit. After that, the probe completed docking with the orbiter on June 6 and transferred the samples. The orbiter spent 13 days in lunar orbit, waiting for a suitable opportunity to return to Earth.

Yang Wei, a research fellow at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the delivered samples would lead to new discoveries.

In May, China successfully launched the Long March 5 Y8 rocket carrying the Chang'e 6 unmanned space probe. On June 2, the probe landed on the far side of the moon in the largest lunar crater, the South Pole-Aitken Basin. The lunar mission will last 53 days and return about two kilograms of soil samples to Earth.

The module of the Chinese space probe Chang'e-6 captured footage from the far side of the Earth's natural satellite.

The first terrestrial spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon was China's Chang'e-4. The landing took place on January 3, 2019. The surface was explored by the six-wheeled lunar rover Yutu-2, which worked on the Moon for three and a half years and traveled almost 1,300 meters.