It is the first cave to be discovered on the Moon and could protect astronauts from radiation.

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.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    5 months ago

    I would design the elevator car to be self-contained, rather than pressurizing the entire shaft.

    Actually, it would be more like riding in a pressurized moon rover. Then, using wheels or rollers on opposing sides of a track to act as guides, some kind of hoist, or maybe just a linear inductive motor using the track as a stator plate.

    The advantage to the linear induction motor is simplicity- if you’re building the track/guides out of metal any way, then, it’s just a few more components and you have a way to go up, go down, and brake.

    In any case there’s really no reason to have a pressurized shaft.

    The value of the cave is it’s already there, with no need to excavate that incredibly annoying moon dust. Which, to be clear, is a horribly hazardous material.

    Because there’s little to no natural erosion, it’s sharp and splintery and highly barbed. It’s also magnetic, so it sticks to anything made of iron or steel; and for example probably causes something akin to silicosis.

    It’s basically the reason that NASA and others are looking at pressurized rovers with suit ports for hopping out instead of an airlock and space suit design. It significantly resizes the amount of moon dust coming in.

    • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      Yes, the moon dust. That incredibly abrasive moon dust. Getting into the workings of the elevator that is your only way out of a deep hole. Any any repair work complicated by having todo it in a suit, in a vacuum, in the moondust, at whatever height it finally broke down

      • GreyEyedGhostEnglish
        1·
        5 months ago

        Even rabbits are smart enough to build 2 exits in their tunnels if they’re of any size at all. The weather also isn’t a big deal, so a track that’s been cleaned, and doesn’t have moon dust dragged onto it, shouldn’t need cleaning every other week.