Moon Hole Might be Suitable for Colony

Moon Hole Might be Suitable for Colony: "

Building a home near a moon crater or a lunar sea may sound nice,
but moon colonists might have a much better chance of survival if they
just lived in a hole.

That's the message sent by an
international team of scientists who say they've discovered a protected
lunar 'lava tube' -- a deep, giant hole -- that might be well suited
for a moon colony or a lunar base.

The vertical hole, in the
volcanic Marius Hills region on the moon's near side, is 213 feet wide
and is estimated to be more than 260 feet deep, according to findings
published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American
Geophysical Union.

More important, the scientists say, the
hole is protected from the moon's harsh temperatures and meteorite
strikes by a thin sheet of lava. That makes the tube a good candidate
for further exploration or possible inhabitation, the article says.

'Lunar
lava tubes are a potentially important location for a future lunar
base, whether for local exploration and development, or as an outpost
to serve exploration beyond the Moon,' writes the team, led by Junichi
Haruyama, a senior researcher with the Japanese space agency JAXA.

'Any
intact lava tube could serve as a shelter from the severe environment
of the lunar surface, with its meteorite impacts, high-energy UV
radiation and energetic particles, and extreme diurnal temperature
variations.'

Lava tubes have previously been discovered on the
moon, but the scientists say the new hole is notable because of its
lava shield and because it does not appear to be prone to collapse.

Lave
tubes exist on Earth and also have been found on Mars. The
cylinder-shaped caverns can be carved out by lava flows, volcanic
eruptions, seismic activity or ground collapse resulting from meteoroid
strikes.

The scientists used high-resolution images from a
Japanese moon orbiter called SELENE to discover this lunar lava tube.
The findings were published November 12, but they grabbed the attention
of the public this week.

NASA
is reportedly working on plans to return to the moon by 2020 and to set
up a temporary lunar colony by 2025 as part of the Constellation
Program. Funding for the program, however, remains somewhat in question.

The American space agency could not be reached for comment.

Source: CNN

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