Peeking Into Lunar Pits

  • Released Thursday, July 17th, 2014
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:50PM
  • ID: 11612

Since 2009, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has spotted hundreds of conspicuous holes on the Moon. These steep-walled “pits" vary from a few meters to nearly 1 kilometer wide, and can reach depths of over 100 meters. Scientists think that pits may form when part of the Moon’s surface collapses above a lava tube, and high-resolution photographs from LRO suggest that many of the pits widen underground. If so, lunar pits might provide shelter from radiation, meteorite impacts, and extreme temperatures, making them valuable sites for future exploration.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) has photographed hundreds of holes on the Moon's surface, which may lead to environments sheltered from radiation, meteorite impacts, and extreme temperatures.

Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.

For More Information

See http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/lunar-pits-could-shelter-astronauts-reveal-details-of-how-man-in-the-moon-formed/

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

Missions

This visualization is related to the following missions:

Tapes

This visualization originally appeared on the following tapes:
  • Lunar Pit Craters (ID: 2014065)
    Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 4:00AM
    Produced by - Dan Jacob