Since Neil Armstrong first stepped on the Moon, humans have been trying to not only get back to the incredible rock orbiting our planet but also find a way to build a lunar base where astronauts can live and study it.
Now, thanks to radar technology, scientists have discovered at least one ancient lava tube under the Moon’s surface. They believe that this tunnel, and others like it, could be the home of the first permanent lunar base.
The History of the Moon
The Earth’s Moon is thought to have been formed during an intense collision; a massive object smashed into the Earth, sending material into space that would then become the Moon as we know it today.
Since its inception nearly 4.5 billion years ago, the Moon has seen significant volcanic activity. Scientists believe that between 3.8 billion and 3 billion years ago, there was intense and constant volcanic activity that led to the Moon’s many craters, crevices, and newly discovered tunnels.
Radar Technology Has Found Lava Caves on the Moon
Of course, we can easily see the Moon with the naked eye from Earth; however, we struggle to see its intricacies. Even the astronauts living on the International Space Station cannot clearly see the Moon, as the ISS is much closer to Earth than it is the Moon.
But, thankfully, new radar technology used on orbiting satellites has finally mapped the details of the Moon’s surface, and these maps show something incredibly interesting.
The Many Caves on the Moon’s Surface
For decades, researchers have speculated that the Moon has always had several caves below its rocky surface. But now, they finally know for sure.
The radar technology on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has shown that there are several large underground caves, including the Mare Tranquillitatis and the Mare Ingenii, on the Moon, which experts believe lead deep below its surface.
New Evidence of at Least One Tunnel on the Moon
Although researchers believe that several of these caves could lead to underground tunnels, they have only found concrete evidence of one such tunnel so far.
While flying over the Mare Tranquillitatis, radar technology was able to show a tunnel moving outward from the cave. Scientists now believe that the tunnel is around 260 feet long and around 130 feet wide.
How Were Lava Tubes Formed on the Moon?
Understanding that the Moon experienced almost a billion years of volcanic activity explains how this tunnel, and maybe others like it, could have formed.
Known as lava tubes, volcanoes often create tunnels when the magma or molten rock rips through the rocky surface. The tubes form around the crusted lava, and then become hollow as the lava drains or is diverted elsewhere.
Scientists Are Comparing the Moon’s Lava Tubes to Those on Earth
The reason why researchers are so confident that this tunnel on the Moon is actually a lava tube is because there are many on Earth that were formed in the exact same way.
Lava tubes have been found in Hawaii, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iceland, Italy, and many other locations. While some are un-explorable, others, like those in Saudi Arabia, have been surveyed at length.
More Research Needs to Be Conducted to Find Out if These Tubes Are Inhabitable
Of all the lava tubes on Earth, only some are large and stable enough to be considered inhabitable.
Therefore, even though there is concrete evidence that at least one tube exists on the moon, much more research needs to be conducted before scientists can confirm that they are safe for human occupancy. However, this is still a wildly exciting theory.
The Moon’s Surface Is Extremely Dangerous for Humans
As previously mentioned, many space exploration organizations from around the world have been working to design a lunar base, but there are several issues plaguing these plans.
The Moon’s surface is anything but stable. With extreme heat, extreme cold, radiation from the sun, micrometeorites, and a lack of atmosphere, living on the Moon is considered exceptionally dangerous.
Scientists Have Been Working to Build Safe Infrastructure on the Moon
Therefore, scientists have been trying to find ways to build safe and protective buildings on the Moon that would allow astronauts to live there for weeks or even months on end.
Wes Patterson, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and co author of the new research, explained, “We could build things on the moon that would be [safe], but it would take a lot more infrastructure to do so.”
Benefits of Astronauts Living Under the Moon’s Surface
However, if there are several lava tubes on Earth, scientists wouldn’t have to design the perfect buildings for a lunar base. The astronauts could build simpler structures underground, already naturally protected from the danger of the Moon’s surface.
Patterson called the lunar lava tube “a place that can protect us,” which is already built and ready for inhabitants.
Could the First Lunar Base Be Built Underground?
Researchers hope that the radar technology will soon be able to tell them if there are more tunnels on the Moon, and whether or not these tubes connect to form a large underground system.
If they can do so, it is very likely that the next astronauts who step foot on the Moon will head straight for the caves, repel below the Moon’s surface, and find out for sure if they could call these tunnels home.
