The key is the existence of lunar lava tubes, which are large, hollow tunnels thought to have formed during long-ago volcanic eruptions. And a new theoretical study from a team at Purdue University is not only saying that they exist, but they’re large enough to hold entire cities. Like those on Earth, lunar lava tubes are thought to form when lava flows to the surface, allowing a layer to cool and insulate the still-molten lava below it. That lava keeps flowing and when it recedes, it leaves behind an empty tube.
Definitive proof of lunar lava tubes doesn’t exist. But theoretical work, along with images that appear to show openings to the tubes, makes a pretty strong case that they’re real. The next logical question to ask is: Can these tubes make the moon more inhabitable? The team from Purdue, made up of members of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and a civil engineering professor, says yes.
via New York Magazine
Image: Henn Photography
