Team selected for NASA program to explore potential lunar cave
NASA has selected a Planetary Science Institute-led team to investigate the Marius Hills Pit on the Moon. The project, GIMLI, aims to determine if the pit leads to a lava tube that could serve as a radiation-shielded habitat for future astronauts.
Why it matters
Identifying stable underground lunar habitats is critical for the long-term success and safety of human space exploration and colonization.
by Sam Riestenberg, Planetary Science Institute
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Add as preferred source The Marius Hills Pit (MHP) on the surface of the Moon. MHP will be studied by PSI-led GIMLI, through the NASA PRISM program, to investigate a possible lava tube beneath the surface. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University NASA has selected a Planetary Science Institute–led proposal to investigate whether a potentially large underground cave extends beyond the opening of a lunar pit. Such a cave may one day provide a safe haven for astronauts to escape the radiation and extreme temperature swings present at the lunar surface.
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