Cape Canaveral: In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have confirmed the existence of a sizable cave on the moon, just 250 miles (400 km) from the historic Apollo 11 landing site where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history 55 years ago. 

This revelation, led by an Italian team, could significantly impact future lunar missions and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts.

The discovery, detailed in the journal Nature Astronomy, centres around a cave accessible from the deepest known pit on the moon, located at the Sea of Tranquility. This pit, like over 200 others identified on the lunar surface, is believed to have formed from the collapse of a lava tube.

Using radar measurements from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, researchers compared these findings with similar lava tubes on Earth. The radar data reveals only the initial part of the underground cavity, but estimates suggest the cave is at least 130 feet (40 metres) wide and tens of yards (metres) long, possibly extending further.

"Lunar caves have remained a mystery for over 50 years. So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence of one," wrote Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of the University of Trento in an email.

The majority of these pits are found in the moon's ancient lava plains, though there may also be some at the moon's south pole—the targeted site for NASA's upcoming astronaut landings later this decade. The permanently shadowed craters at the south pole are thought to contain frozen water, a crucial resource for drinking water and rocket fuel.

During NASA's Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the moon, beginning with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969. This latest discovery opens new possibilities for future lunar explorers. The hundreds of pits and thousands of potential lava tubes on the moon could serve as natural shelters, offering protection from cosmic rays, solar radiation, and micrometeorite strikes. Constructing habitats from scratch would be more challenging and time-consuming, even with the potential need to reinforce cave walls to prevent collapse.

Furthermore, rocks and other materials inside these caves, untouched by harsh surface conditions, could provide invaluable insights into the moon's volcanic activity and its evolutionary history. AP