Italian-led team of Scientists have discovered a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago and is potentially suitable for shelter of astronauts.
The scientists have reported that the cave is located at the Sea of Tranquility, a distance of approximately 250 miles from Apollo 11’s landing.
The scientists said the pit, like more than 200 others discovered on the moon, was created by the collapse of a lava tube.
The cave is accessible through the deepest known pit on the Moon formed by the collapse of the lava tube. The pit is one of over 200 similar structures identified on the lunar surface.
Such caves provide natural shielding from harmful cosmic rays, solar radiation and micrometeorites, making them ideal for emergency lunar shelters.
“Lunar caves have remained a mystery for over 50 years. So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence” of one, Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of the University of Trento told The Associated Press in an email.
The Nature study said that the cave could be a “promising site for a lunar base, as it offers shelter from the harsh surface environment and could support long-term human exploration of the Moon.”
