Cave discovered on Moon could be home for humans

[Did You See Them]

Cave discovered on Moon could be home for humans.

Scientists have for the first time discovered a cave on the Moon.

At least 100m deep, it could be an ideal place for humans to build a permanent base, they say.

It is just one in probably hundreds of caves hidden in an “underground, undiscovered world”, according to the researchers.

Countries are racing to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, but they will need to protect astronauts from radiation, extreme temperatures, and space weather.

Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut to travel to space, told BBC News that the newly-discovered cave looked like a good place for a base, and suggested humans could potentially be living in lunar pits in 20-30 years.

But, she said, this cave is so deep that astronauts might need to abseil in and use “jet packs or a lift” to get out.

Lorenzo Bruzzone and Leonardo Carrer at the University of Trento in Italy found the cave by using radar to penetrate the opening of a pit on a rocky plain called the Mare Tranquillitatis.

It is visible to the naked eye from Earth, and is also where Apollo 11 landed in 1969.

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

It was made millions or billions of years ago when lava flowed on the Moon, creating a tunnel through the rock.

The closest equivalent on Earth would be the volcanic caves in Lanzarote, Spain, Prof Carrer explains, adding that the researchers visited those caves as part of their work..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce784r9njz0o

[Vicus]

Russian-Chinese International Scientific Lunar Station to Be Built in 3 Phases 2 hours ago

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The International Scientific Lunar Station (ISLS) will be jointly created by Russia and China in three phases: research and development, construction, and operation, according to the relevant agreement published on the official legal information portal on Thursday.

"The creation of the ISLS is planned to be implemented in 3 phases: phase I - research and development ... phase II - construction ... phase III - operation," the document read.
Joint Russian-Chinese operations at the station will start during the second phase, according to the document.

The intergovernmental agreement on the joint creation of the ISLS by China and Russia was signed on November 25, 2022. On June 12, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law ratifying it. The agreement entered into force on July 18.

https://eu-browse.startpage.com/av/p...56ac35aa249f2c