Scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have found a shady location inside a crater on the Moon that is always around a comfortable temperature of around 17 degrees Celsius, a temperature suitable for humans.
–
Craters and caves would form thermally stable sites for lunar exploration compared to areas on the lunar surface, which reach temperatures of around 127 degrees Celsius during the day and cool to around -173 degrees Celsius at night.
Moon exploration is part of NASA’s goal to explore and understand the unknown in outer space, to inspire and benefit mankind.
The crater was first discovered on the moon in 2009, and since then, scientists have wondered whether it led to a cave that could be explored or used as a refuge. It will also protect the crater or cave from cosmic rays, solar radiation, and micro-meteoroids.
“Probably about 16 of the more than 200 lava tube collapse craters,” said Tyler Horvath, a UCLA planetary science doctoral student who led the new research recently published in the journal. Geophysical Research Letter.
“Moon craters are a remarkable feature on the lunar surface,” said LRO project scientist Noah Petro of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Knowing that they create a stable thermal environment helps us paint a picture of these unique lunar features and the prospects of one day exploring them.”
Horvath processed data from Diviner, a thermal camera, to see if the temperature inside the crater differed from the temperature at the surface.
Focusing on a 100-meter-deep cylindrical depression that is the length and width of a football field in the region of the Moon known as Mare Tranquillitatis, Horvath and colleagues used computer modeling to analyze the thermal properties of lunar rock and dust and plot craters. temperature over time.
–
The results revealed that the temperature inside the permanently shaded crater stream fluctuated only slightly during the lunar day, remaining around 17°C. If the cave extended from the bottom of the crater, as the image taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera shows, it would have a relatively comfortable temperature.
The team believes that the drooping shade is responsible for the constant temperature, which limits the heat of objects during the day and prevents heat from radiating at night.
A lunar day lasts about 15 Earth days, during which time the surface is constantly bombarded with sunlight and is often hot enough to boil water. Very cold nights also last about 15 Earth days.
Launched on June 18, 2009, LRO has amassed a treasure trove of data using its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of the Moon.
**
The above article was published from a news agency with minor edits to the title and text.
–