For years, scientists have wondered if dark, crater-like features on the lunar surface might be entrances to giant caverns carved long ago by flowing lava.
The team, which included scientists from NASA and Japan’s space agency, JAXA, combined radar and gravity data to make the finding.
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.
For years, scientists have suspected that these lunar features were lava tubes—naturally occurring channels that form when lava turns into a hard crust.
JAXA scientists analyzed radar data from the SELENE spacecraft, which was designed to study the origins of the Moon and its geological history.
Because the scientists found several similar echo patterns at locations nearby, there may be more than one lava tube. »
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