CNN | The study published this month in the journal Earth-Science Reviews.
The
lava tubes beneath the surface of the moon have also remained largely
intact due to low gravity. Any collapsed lava tubes on the moon are
likely due to asteroid impacts, the researchers said. And those
skylights could actually provide access to the tubes.
These lava tubes could help shelter astronauts, as well as provide new information about the moon and Mars.
"The
existence of stable huge voids below the Moon subsurface, potentially
accessible through skylights, could change the paradigm on how we
approach planetary exploration in terms of mission design, planetary
human outposts and scientific research," said Pozzobon and Franceso
Sauro, study author and professor in the department of biological,
geological and environmental sciences at the University of Bologna.
"Accessing
these caves and (analyzing) this type of subsurface environment will
present new technological challenges but also could provide unexpected
scientific discoveries."
For astronauts exploring the harsh environments and fluctuating
temperatures of the moon and Mars, the lava tubes could provide natural
shelter from radiation, impacts by micrometeorites and unstable
temperatures.
Micrometeorites pose a danger not only
to astronauts, but the habitats and life support equipment they'll need
on the moon and Mars. The caves could be used to live in and store
equipment.
It's even possible that the tubes could provide access to water ice reservoirs, the researchers said.
"But the challenges in order to access these caves and sustain human activity are nonetheless massive," the researchers said.
