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A Massive Cave Has Been Found On The Moon

A Massive Cave Has Been Found On The Moon

Scientists think it could make the perfect lunar base.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Scientists from Japan reckon they've found the perfect place for a lunar base - a 100m wide cavern.

Japan's SELENE lunar orbiter confirmed the existence of the 50km long cavern, which is believed to be a lava tube, created by volcanic activity around 3.5 billion years ago. The discovery could be good news for the US and Russia, both of which have recently refocused their attentions on the moon.

As yet no astronauts have been inside the cavern, but Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) plan to put a Japanese astronaut on the moon by 2030, according to the Guardian.

via GIPHY

The finding was published in the US magazine Geophysical Research Letters last week. It's thought that the cave, which is in the Marius Hills area of the moon, could offer astronauts some natural protection from extreme temperatures, which can range from an average of 107C during and -153C at night, and ultraviolet rays from the sun. Experts think it could be the perfect place to start building.

Junichi Haruyama, a senior researcher at Jaxa said: "We've known about these locations that were thought to be lava tubes ... but their existence has not been confirmed until now."

Would you fancy living here? Credit: PA

He added that such spaces 'might be the best candidate sites for future lunar bases, because of their stable thermal conditions and potential to protect people and instruments from micrometeorites and cosmic ray radiation'.

Haruyama went on: "The same stable and protected environment that would benefit future human explorers also makes them an enticing target for scientific study.

"Careful examination of their interiors could provide unique insights concerning the evolutionary history of the moon."

via GIPHY

Russia has already expressed an interest in colonising the moon, starting with just four people, by 2030.

China has also announced it would be sending people to the moon in 2036 as part of a longer plan to 'explore, land and settle', according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence, said recently: "We will return American astronauts to the moon, not only to leave behind footprints and flags, but to build the foundations we need to send Americans to Mars and beyond."

Exciting stuff.

Sources: The Guardian; New York Post

Featured Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

Topics: Nasa, space, Japan