These lunar craters, a collection of collapsed caves and lava tubes drilled into the surface, were discovered by NASA as potential thermally stable sites for both mechanical and human exploration, at a balmy 63 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 17 degrees Celsius) . Tweet may have been deleted (opens in new tab) The new data comes from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft and computer modeling, part of a lunar exploration initiative to map the moon’s surface that first launched in 2009 — the spacecraft’s orbital mission was later extended and several more lunar science objectives were assigned that were intended to reveal information about the lunar environment. The pits themselves were first revealed on the original LRO mapping mission. “Lunar craters are a fascinating feature on the lunar surface,” LRO project scientist Noah Petro wrote in the NASA announcement. “Knowing that they create a stable thermal environment helps us paint these unique lunar features and the prospect of exploring them one day.” SEE ALSO: NASA’s GIF shows off the extraordinary power of the Webb Telescope Surface temperatures on the moon are usually not as temperate as the craters, with daytime temperatures reaching 260 degrees Fahrenheit (about 127 degrees Celsius) and nighttime lows as low as -280 Fahrenheit (about -173 degrees Celsius). NASA says the pits were being looked at as potential cave networks that could be safely explored or used as a shelter from cosmic rays, solar radiation and micrometeorites that affect space missions. Several of the pits show evidence of rock ledges and other ledges that provide much-needed shade from the extreme heat and suggest subsurface caverns large enough to enter. NASA scientists — including David Paige, who co-authored the temperature measurement paper and leads the Diviner Lunar Radiometer experiment at LRO — say this temperature discovery could make such lunar exploration much easier for us non-engineered beasts . “Humans evolved by living in caves, and we may go back to caves when we live on the moon,” he said.
