The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has just discovered a massive underground cave in moon which could be used as potential location for a lunar station in coming months. This has raised hopes for human colonization in moon and experts say we will make it in less than 20 years.
Japan claims it as a very significant discovery, due to its value for both science and human expansion into space.They expect the cave rocks could be filled either with water or ice.
Due to lack of atmosphere there could be extremes temperatures on moon ranging from 100 degree Celsius to minus 173 Celsius and during those extreme temperatures humans can use this cave as a protective shield.
Jaxa said the cave is located from a few dozen metres to 200 metres beneath an area of volcanic domes known as the Marius Hills on the moon’s near side, is a lava tube created during volcanic activity about 3.5bn years ago.
Jaxa also claimed that they haven’t seen the inside of cave and and believes exploring it might lead to many discoveries.
“We haven’t actually seen the inside of the cave itself so there are high hopes that exploring it will offer more details,” -said Haruyama, a senior researcher at Jaxa .
The discovery will boost plans by several countries to send astronauts to the moon almost half a century after the Apollo 11 mission.
In recent months we could see the rise in compettion between Elon Musk’s Space X and Bezos Blue Origin to land in mood. Space race is on , truly on.
So the idea of permanent human presence in moon is no more a science fiction.