Moon may have underground caves, new NASA team to find out if they can become safe heavens for astronauts

NASA has selected a team to find out if underground lunar caves could one day become safe havens for astronauts to escape the extreme temperature and radiation of lunar surface. The temperature on the Moon can go uo to about 260 degrees Fahrenheit to about -280 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, since the Moon has almost negligible atmosphere, it has virtually no protection from Sun's radiation or meteoroids.

The project, Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation or GIMLI, will be led by the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) Associate Director and Senior Scientist Than Putzig. PSI is collaborating with Honeybee Robotics, which will construct much of the equipment for this project. The Norwegian Space Agency will provide the ground-penetrating radar equipment. In addition to PSI and Honeybee Robotics, the GIMLI team includes Co-Investigators from Boise State University, Johns Hopkins University, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the University of Oslo.

The study is funded through NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) program.

All about GIMLI project

Under GIMLI project, NASA aims to explore the Marius Hills Pit (MHP) on the Moon's surface. According to NASA, the Marius Hills pit is a possible skylight in a lava tube in an ancient volcanic region of the Moon called the Marius Hills. The MHP is located in an area known for its volcanic diversity and is believed to have formed from ancient volcanic activity.

The team will investigate whether the large underground lava tube beneath the lunar pit could become safe havens for future astronauts. GIMLI will employ tools such as ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors, and a gravimeter to analyze the lunar surface and search for potential underground voids, which could extend from the Marius Hills pit.

“GIMLI represents the type of ambitious planetary science that PSI was built to pursue,” Amanda Hendrix, PSI Director and CEO, was quoted as saying by phys.org. “Than and his team are taking a scientific question we’ve been studying from orbit and have developed a way to investigate it directly on the Moon. We’re excited to have PSI leading this effort and to be partnering with NASA and Honeybee Robotics to learn more about the Moon and its volcanic past.”

Commenting on the project, PSI Associate Director and Senior Scientist Than Putzig said, “It’s long been a desire of mine to reintroduce intentional active-source seismic methods to planetary science, as it has essentially not been done since the Apollo astronauts conducted the first seismic surveys on the Moon.”

"Combining that method with ground-penetrating radar and gravity measurements makes it all the more exciting, as these methods together will allow us to get a much better understanding of subsurface properties—including the anticipated detection of a lava tube extending away from the Marius Hills pit," he added.

How GIMLI will search for lunar caves

The study will also involve high-resolution imaging, with cameras meant to capture details of the pit walls and its surroundings. As GIMLI investigates the subsurface, it will gather insights into the geological history of the area, even if it does not find a cave. The results could provide answers to significant questions about the formation of the MHP and increase understanding of the volcanic history of the Moon.

Gareth Morgan, PSI Senior Scientist and Deputy Principal Investigator on the GIMLI program, said that a confirmation of lava tube would give us an insight into how volcanism operated on the Moon. He noted that identifying such features could leverage our understanding of terrestrial caves to shed light on lunar geological history.