NASA may have abandoned plans to return to the moon for now, thanks to President Obama’s mandate, but other countries and a lot of private groups are interested in setting up shop on the lunar surface. According to a Thursday story on the BBC, scientists at this year’s Lunar and Planetary Conference have concluded that underground lava tubes would be stable enough to house as many future lunar settlers as needed.
According to NASA, lava tubes were likely formed below the lunar surface by lava flows. The tops of the tubes hardened and over time the lava drained away, leaving an empty space. Such tubes exist on Earth, but the ones under the moon are likely larger because of the lower gravity. No one has actually seen the inside of a lunar lava tube yet, by orbiting spacecraft such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted pits in the moon’s surface that are thought to be entrances.
The reason lava tubes would be perfect places to house lunar settlers is that they provide shielding from cosmic radiation, meteors, and the extremes of heat and cold. One possible mission for future lunar explorers, either robotic or human, would be to seek out these lava tubes and enter them to ascertain their suitability for habitation.
Interesting enough, Mars has lava tubes as well. Like the moon, Mars lacks a thick atmosphere or a magnetic field to shield against various hazards coming from space. It looks like the humanity’s future in space may, at least initially, lay underground.
