Team selected for NASA program to explore potential lunar cave
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.
NASA has chosen a Planetary Science Institute-led proposal to explore whether a large underground cave exists beneath a lunar pit called Marius Hills pit (MHP). The selected project, called Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation or GIMLI, will investigate MHP directly from the lunar surface for the first time.
GIMLI will be led by PSI associate director and senior scientist Than Putzig, with support from Honeybee Robotics, the Norwegian Space Agency, and several other institutions. The project aims to use ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors, and a gravimeter to detect a possible lava tube extending from MHP, which could provide a safe haven for future astronauts.
If no cave is found, the results could still help understand the formation of MHP and the moon's volcanic history.
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