Are there above ground caves somewhere? Who knew?

Converting existing caves by lining and sealing them could be easier than building above ground structures. Would be safer from smaller asteroid strikes as well. It's been written about in Sci-Fi since the 50's or so, maybe earlier.

The Moon is a particularly harsh mistress (with apologies to Robert Heinlein). Not only is it airless, but it also has no shielding from radiation (we do because of the Van Allen belts), meaning that the only way that you can build lunar habitats is to build them underground. The current thinking is that such habitats would likely consist of the equivalent of inflatable balloons within lunar lava tubes, eventually supplemented by additional boring. Existing tubes obviously reduces the complexity of establishing a base dramatically.

So why put a base on the moon? The biggest is that the moon has only 1/6th the gravity of Earth, meaning that you need much less energy to escape its gravity well. Additionally, no atmosphere means no air resistance, meaning much less ablative shielding necessary on spacecraft (you may even be able to get away with ion impulse engines at that point). Anchoring a satellite in orbit around the moon makes it much easier to develop deep space telescopes in orbits that always keep them away from pointing at both the Sun and the Earth. Low-gravity manufacturing becomes feasible. The moon also becomes an ideal location for microwave collection systems, which can then be beamed to satellite transmitters and from there to Earthside waystations.

Of course, it also becomes a political football, a point brought up extensively since the 1950s.

The Moon was formed in part by the ejecta from Theia's collision with Gaia (the proto-Earth) about 3.8 billion years ago, and in part by the partial disintegration of Theia as it approached Earth's Roche limit. As a consequence, it is relatively differentiated, and has more oxygen, titanium, aluminum and iron in its crust than the Earth does (although almost no helium, hydrogen, as measured by concentration. Consequently, mining would serve two purposes - extracting minerals, and enlarging habitats.

This is one reason that I don't understand the rush to Mars. Mars only becomes feasible once the Moon is colonized, and we are a long way from even that just yet.

By Aoife Hilton
Posted 2h ago



A hole on the moon.
The cave is approximately 100 metres deep and 45 metres wide.(Supplies: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

• In short: Researchers have found a "possible option" for a lunar base — amid a mysterious Moon cave.
  
  
• The cave sits at a balmy temperature of 17C, making it suitable for human habitation.
  
  
• What's next? An expert has recommended space farers explore the sub-surface of the Moon.

New research has indicated that a cave found on the Moon provides ideal conditions for human exploration.

Research published in the journal Nature Astronomy yesterday analysed images that NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft took in 2010 of a pit in the Mare Tranquillitatis. The site, where Apollo 11 landed in 1969, is visible from Earth.

The Nature Astronomy paper confirmed previous research from Geophysical Research Letters last year, which indicated the pit led to a Moon cave. The cave extends approximately 100 metres deep and at least 45m wide, the study says.

It has a skylight on the Moon's surface, leading down to vertical and overhanging walls, and a sloping floor that might extend further underground.

More:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-16/cave-discovered-on-the-moon/104102032

The findings suggest there could be hundreds of pits on the moon and thousands of lava tubes.



A plane passes in front of the moon.
By: AP via Scripps NewsPosted at 6:29 PM, Jul 15, 2024

Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts.

An Italian-led team reported Monday that there's evidence of a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known pit on the moon. It's located at the Sea of Tranquility, just 250 miles from Apollo 11's landing site. The pit, like the more than 200 others discovered up there, was created by the collapse of a lava tube.

Researchers analyzed radar measurements by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and compared the results with lava tubes on Earth. Their findings appeared in the journal Nature Astronomy.

. . .

Most of the pits seem to be located in the moon’s ancient lava plains, according to the scientists. There also could be some at the moon’s south pole, the planned location of NASA’s astronaut landings later this decade. Permanently shadowed craters there are believed to hold frozen water that could provide drinking water and rocket fuel.

More:
https://www.scrippsnews.com/science-and-tech/space/scientists-have-confirmed-a-cave-on-the-moon-that-could-be-used-to-shelter-future-explorers