Could Moon caves provide shelter for future space explorers?

A team of Italian scientists just discovered a huge cave on the Moon. The scientists used radar measurements from a NASA satellite. Researchers believe hundreds of other such rocky hollows could exist on the Moon. These caves could provide much-needed protection for Moon-walking astronauts.

Why do Moon explorers need protection? Mostly because of these three things: cosmic rays, solar radiation, and micrometeorites.

When you look around, the air seems empty. But it’s full of invisible gases like oxygen and nitrogen. These make up Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere doesn’t just give us what we need to breathe. It protects us from all sorts of spacey dangers. It stops most cosmic rays—highly charged particles floating through space. It also absorbs most solar radiation—energy waves coming from the Sun. (It doesn’t stop all of the radiation. Ever get a sunburn? That’s solar radiation.)

But the Moon has almost no atmosphere. Nothing protects Moon-walkers from solar radiation and cosmic rays.

Earth’s atmosphere also protects us from micrometeorites. That’s a long word, but it means what it sounds like: tiny space rocks. On Earth, most meteorites never hit the ground. They burn up in the atmosphere. But on the Moon, micrometeorites strike the surface very often. They leave pock marks all over our satellite’s surface. For a Moon explorer, that’s like bullets falling from the sky.

Someday, astronauts might create man-made Moon shelters. Some scientists think Moon dust (called “regolith”) could be used for building. But they haven’t yet perfected the process. And NASA wants to send more astronauts Moonward this decade. Natural caves could provide much-needed shelter.

They also might help scientists learn even more about the Moon. On the surface, harsh conditions wear away the terrain over time. In caves, astronauts might find a perfectly preserved lunar landscape. They could discover much about the Moon’s volcanic activity.

Most of us don’t need to worry about cosmic rays and space rocks. We go through other troubles. But we still don’t need to worry. God promises to be our shelter. We can rest in His protection, no matter what we face.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. — Psalm 91:1