Scientists from Italy this week announced the discovery of the first cave on the surface of the moon. It is located only 400 km from the landing site of the first mission to the moon Apollo 11. For the past 50 years, scientists have hypothesized that thousands of craters found on the surface of the moon may hide the entrance to the cave.
Lorenzo Bruzzone and Leonardo Carrer, two scientists from the University of Trento Italy discovered the cave located in Mare Tranquillitatis after analyzing the radar scan data of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission by NASA which maps the surface of the moon.
Although the mission was carried out in 2010, the data collected was only recently processed. It is estimated that the cave found has an opening as wide as 40 meters and may be as deep as 100 meters with it being formed from a collapsed lava tube.
There are believed to be hundreds more structures like this on the moon's surface that could be explored by future missions. Because it already exists, scientists suggest that the lunar surface caves could be used as headquarters by future astronauts to protect them from cosmic radiation and extreme temperatures of 127°C when exposed to sunlight and plummet to -173°C at night.
Since they are always protected by shadows, lunar caves may also contain ice that can be used as a source of drink as well as fuel.