Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts in Caves on the Moon (VIDEO)

Astronomers are taking a closer look at the pitted, battered surface of the moon and found that some lunar pits could potentially shelter astronauts. The findings could help support human activity on the lunar surface.

The moon has over 200 holes on its surface-steep-walled pits that in some cases might lead to caves. These pits range in size from about five meters to more than 900 meters in diameter. In order to examine these holes a bit further, though, the researchers employed NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

The researchers found most pits in either large craters with impact melt ponds, which are areas of lava that formed from the heat of the impact and later solidified, or in the lunar maria, which are dark areas on the moon that are extensive solidified lava flows.

"Pits would be useful in a support role for human activity on the lunar surface," said Robert Wagner of Arizona State University in a news release. "A habitat placed in a pit-ideally several dozen meters back under an overhang-would provide a very safe location for astronauts: no radiation, no micrometeorites, possibly very little dust, and no wild day-night temperature swings."

The researchers believe that these pits formed when the roof of a void or cave collapsed, perhaps from the vibrations generated by a nearby meteorite impact. Yet researchers will have to investigate further before they can point to a particular cause.

To date, the scientists have found over 200 pits spread across the melt ponds of 29 craters, which are geologically young at less than a billion years old. Eight other pits can be found in the lunar maria. Currently, researchers plan to investigate them a bit further.

"The ideal follow-up, of course, could be to drop probes into one or two of these pits, and get a really good look at what's down there," said Wagner. "Pits, by their nature, cannot be explored very well from orbit-the lower walls and any floor-level caves simply cannot be seen from a good angle."

Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of NASA and YouTube.