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| The Marius Hills Skylight, as observed by the Japanese SELENE/Kaguya research team. (Image: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University) |
Topics: Moon, NASA, Planetary Science, Science Fiction, Space Exploration
Hm. Just in time for Halloween, though (I think) the architecture of science fiction space bases will obviously need an update. This is also the idea motivating any future Martian colonies as well.
New research published in Geophysical Research Letters shows that several pits located near the Marius Hill region of the Moon are large open lava tubes, and that these ancient caverns have the potential to offer, in the words of the researchers, a “pristine environment to conduct scientific examination of the Moon’s composition and potentially serve as secure shelters for humans and instruments.” The team, which included scientists from NASA and Japan’s space agency, JAXA, combined radar and gravity data to make the finding.
No doubt, these caverns would be perfect for aspiring lunar colonists. Inside these large holes, humans would be protected from the Sun’s dangerous rays, and other hazards. The Moon has no atmosphere to speak of, so these “instant” shelters would be extremely advantageous.
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| Philadelphia is shown inside a theoretical lunar lava tube. (Image: Purdue University/David Blair) |
Scientists Just Found the Perfect Spot to Build an Underground Colony on the Moon George Dvorsky, Gizmodo
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