Peeking Into Lunar Pits

  • Released Thursday, July 17, 2014
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Since 2009, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has spotted hundreds of conspicuous holes on the Moon. These steep-walled “pits" vary from a few meters to nearly 1 kilometer wide, and can reach depths of over 100 meters. Scientists think that pits may form when part of the Moon’s surface collapses above a lava tube, and high-resolution photographs from LRO suggest that many of the pits widen underground. If so, lunar pits might provide shelter from radiation, meteorite impacts, and extreme temperatures, making them valuable sites for future exploration.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) has photographed hundreds of holes on the Moon's surface, which may lead to environments sheltered from radiation, meteorite impacts, and extreme temperatures.

Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.

For More Information

See http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/lunar-pits-could-shelter-astronauts-reveal-details-of-how-man-in-the-moon-formed/

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NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Thursday, July 17, 2014.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:50 PM EDT.

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