Could future astronauts live underground on the Moon? 🌕 NASA scientists are investigating mysterious lunar pits that could lead to massive lava tubes — potentially offering natural shelter for future Moon bases.
Space.com's Tariq Malik and Mike Wall talk with lunar scientist Than Putzig on This Week in Space about the proposed GIMLI mission, which aims to explore a lunar pit in the Marius Hills region.
The mission would use a rover to examine the pit's walls, map underground structures and search for evidence of hidden lava tubes that could someday shelter astronauts from radiation and micrometeorite impacts.
Could these underground caverns eventually house inflatable habitats or even entire lunar bases?
Plus, discover how the mission got its name from Gimli, the famous dwarf from The Lord of the Rings, and why the connection is particularly fitting for a mission exploring beneath the Moon's surface.
