Lunar refuge: Scientists confirm cave near Apollo 11 site

A team of Italian and American scientists confirmed the existence of a cave on the Moon in the region of the Sea of Tranquility, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago. According to the AP agency, citing NASA, researchers suspect there may be over 200 similar cavities in the area where astronauts could potentially shelter.

Scientists have confirmed the existence of a cave on the Moon, where astronauts could shelter.

They analyzed radar measurements taken in 2010 by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Their discovery was described in an article published in the journal "Nature Astronomy."

Researchers have described the cave in detail. It is located 400 kilometres from the Apollo 11 landing site. Only the initial part of the underground cavity is visible. Scientists say it is at least 40 metres wide and several hundred metres long, or possibly more.

- Lunar caves have remained a mystery for over 50 years. So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence - said Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone from the University of Trento in an interview with AP.

According to them, similar cavities may be located at the Moon’s south pole, where NASA plans to land astronauts later this decade. It is anticipated that shaded craters and cavities may contain frozen water.

Natural caves may serve as shelters for astronauts in the future, protecting them from cosmic and solar radiation and micrometeorite impacts. However, as the research team assessed, building settlements on the Moon's surface will be more time-consuming and challenging than reinforcing cave walls.

Analyzing rocks and other materials inside the caves can also help better understand how the Moon evolved, especially its previous volcanic activity.

During NASA's Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the Moon. The first was Armstrong and Aldrin, who reached the Moon on July 20, 1969.