Humans can stay in Mars and Moon caves

Italian scientists think that the cave system on Mars and Moon is the ideal place for people to settle down in the future.

The underground system of Mars and Moon can be a safe haven for people in the future, according to a study presented at the European Space Science Conference last week in Riga, Latvia.

The cave network , also known as lava tube , forms due to active volcanic processes that create lava flows. We can find similar but smaller cave systems on Earth in Lanzarote, Hawaii, Iceland, Sicily and the Galapagos Islands.

The astronauts of the European Space Agency (ESA) are being trained in lava tubes on Lanzarote island. (Photo: ESA).

"The comparison of examples on Earth, Moon and Mars indicates that gravity has a great influence on the size of lava tubes , " International Business Times quoted Riccardo Pozzobon, co-author of the study at the University. Padova, Italy.

According to Pozzobon, the caves created from volcanic lava on Earth are about 30 meters in size. In a weaker gravitational environment on Mars, there is evidence that lava tubes can be 250m wide. On the Moon, this type of cave can be several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers long.

Lava tube is the ideal place to shield cosmic radiation and harmful micrometeorite , providing a safe environment for people to perform future tasks. They are also wide enough to accommodate large-scale human settlements.

Leonardo Carrer, a member of the research team at the University of Trento, Italy, said a special radar system could detect lava tubes on the Moon from orbit. The system will use electromagnetic waves to probe below the surface of the Moon, determine the physical composition, shape and size of caves, as well as their location.

"A mission to bring this device will be an important step in finding a safe environment for the Moon, serving the human colonization goal," Carrer said.