The Moon can reach terrifying temperatures of 127°C during the day and -173°C at night, from hell to extreme cold. But the POT found shaded locations within wells with a temperature of 17 °C, nice for any human being.
It was achieved thanks to the work of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA, in addition to handling computer models.
These pits and caves would be, in the words of the aerospace agency, thermally stable sites for lunar exploration, compared to other extreme areas of the natural satellite.
Although these places were discovered in 2009, it is only now that their temperature is known. According to NASA researchers, they would also offer some protection against cosmic rays, solar radiation and micrometeorites.
NASA explains how lava tubes form on the Moon
Tyler Horvatha doctoral student in planetary sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, led the research, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
“About 16 of the more than 200 pits are probably collapsed lava tubes,” says Horvath. “Moon pits are a fascinating feature on the lunar surface. Knowing that they create a stable thermal environment helps us paint a picture of these unique lunar features and the prospect of one day exploring them.”
According to NASA, lava tubes form when molten lava flows under a cooled lava field, or a crust forms on a river of lava. Thus a long hollow tunnel is born, just as it happens on Earth.
If the roof of a solidified lava tube collapses, a shaft opens up that can lead to the rest of the cave-like tube.
This is how the conclusion was reached about the temperature in certain wells of the Moon
To reach conclusions about the temperature of these sites, Horvath and his colleagues used computer models, analyzing the thermal properties of lunar rock and dust. They also recorded well temperatures over time.
In the shaded parts of the well temperatures remain around 17 °C. The projection of the shadow is responsible for the constancy of temperature, limiting the heat during the day and preventing it from being radiated at night.
A day on the Moon lasts about 15 Earth days, reaching averages of 127 °C. And a night lasts about 15 Earth days, with temperature averages of -173 °C.
So, as nice as moonpools are, isn’t it possible that a future satellite base could start there?