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NASA selects GIMLI to investigate a possible lava tube beneath Marius Hills pit

A post says GIMLI will use radar, seismic measurements, a gravimeter and cameras to assess what lies beyond the pit.

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3 Sources, 2d ago, first seen 2d ago

TLDR

Posts say NASA selected GIMLI to investigate whether the Moon’s Marius Hills pit connects to a larger lava tube. One post describes plans to use radar, seismic measurements and a gravimeter to probe underground, while cameras document the pit’s exposed walls. If a substantial cave is there, it could offer future crews protection from radiation and micrometeorites and smaller temperature swings.

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13.8K

3 Sources, first seen 2d ago

486 likes19 comments63 saves90 reposts

Combined views

13.8K

3 Sources, first seen 2d ago

486 likes19 comments63 saves90 reposts

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3 Sources

@outerspacetodayJUST IN: NASA has selected a mission to investigate whether a giant cave on the Moon opens into an underground lava tube that could one day shelter astronauts from radiation and extreme temperatures. The GIMLI project will study the Marius Hills Pit, an opening roughly 90 meters wide and 34 meters deep, using ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors and gravity measurements to determine whether a larger cave extends beneath the lunar surface. Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, will build much of the instrumentation, which is expected to ride to the Moon on a commercial lander and rover through NASA’s CLPS program. Scientists have suspected for years that lunar pits could provide entrances to vast lava tubes formed by ancient volcanic activity. Thick layers of rock overhead could naturally shield astronauts from radiation while also insulating them from the Moon’s extreme surface temperature swings, making such caves attractive locations for future lunar crews. Instead of building every habitat entirely on the surface, future astronauts could eventually use the Moon’s own geology as protection.2d
@ExploreCosmos_.@NASA has selected a project to investigate whether the Marius Hills pit on the Moon connects to a large underground lava tube. Called GIMLI, short for Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation. It was selected through NASA’s PRISM programme, which supports scientific investigations on the lunar surface, with instruments delivered through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Lava tubes are passages that can form during volcanic eruptions. As the surface of a lava flow cools and solidifies, molten rock can continue moving beneath it. When that lava drains away, it can leave an empty tunnel surrounded by solid rock. A local collapse of the roof can expose part of the passage, producing an opening visible from orbit. Lunar observations have provided evidence for these structures, but seeing a pit’s entrance gives only a limited view of what might extend beneath the surrounding terrain. GIMLI will combine ground-penetrating radar, an active-source seismic system, a gravimeter and cameras. Radar reflections probe underground boundaries, the seismic system measures how deliberately generated vibrations travel through the ground, and gravity measurements look for variations associated with differences in mass. Together, these methods should help establish whether a cavity extends beyond the pit and constrain its dimensions. Cameras will document the surface and exposed walls. Those walls expose successive lava flows and layers of regolith, the loose material covering the lunar surface. Studying them could help reconstruct the region’s volcanic activity, including intervals between eruptions. Even if GIMLI finds no extensive tunnel, its measurements could explain how the pit formed and improve our understanding of the surrounding geology. The possibility of a substantial cave also matters for future human exploration. Rock above an underground space could provide shielding from radiation and micrometeorites, while sheltered interiors could experience much smaller temperature changes than the exposed surface. Earlier research using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter observations and thermal modelling supports the potential advantages of some lunar pits and caves, although conditions would need to be assessed at each location. Establishing the structure beneath Marius Hills would help researchers evaluate whether this particular site could offer useful protection for future astronauts.18h
@HawkingCenterA lava tube could shelter people on the Moon. NASA selected GIMLI, led by Nathaniel Putzig, to scan Marius Hills Pit for an underground tube and to study lunar volcanism. A tube there could shield crews from heat and radiation. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-adds-new-science-investigations-for-moon-base/13h
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    3 Sources

    @outerspacetodayJUST IN: NASA has selected a mission to investigate whether a giant cave on the Moon opens into an underground lava tube that could one day shelter astronauts from radiation and extreme temperatures. The GIMLI project will study the Marius Hills Pit, an opening roughly 90 meters wide and 34 meters deep, using ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors and gravity measurements to determine whether a larger cave extends beneath the lunar surface. Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, will build much of the instrumentation, which is expected to ride to the Moon on a commercial lander and rover through NASA’s CLPS program. Scientists have suspected for years that lunar pits could provide entrances to vast lava tubes formed by ancient volcanic activity. Thick layers of rock overhead could naturally shield astronauts from radiation while also insulating them from the Moon’s extreme surface temperature swings, making such caves attractive locations for future lunar crews. Instead of building every habitat entirely on the surface, future astronauts could eventually use the Moon’s own geology as protection.2d
    @ExploreCosmos_.@NASA has selected a project to investigate whether the Marius Hills pit on the Moon connects to a large underground lava tube. Called GIMLI, short for Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation. It was selected through NASA’s PRISM programme, which supports scientific investigations on the lunar surface, with instruments delivered through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Lava tubes are passages that can form during volcanic eruptions. As the surface of a lava flow cools and solidifies, molten rock can continue moving beneath it. When that lava drains away, it can leave an empty tunnel surrounded by solid rock. A local collapse of the roof can expose part of the passage, producing an opening visible from orbit. Lunar observations have provided evidence for these structures, but seeing a pit’s entrance gives only a limited view of what might extend beneath the surrounding terrain. GIMLI will combine ground-penetrating radar, an active-source seismic system, a gravimeter and cameras. Radar reflections probe underground boundaries, the seismic system measures how deliberately generated vibrations travel through the ground, and gravity measurements look for variations associated with differences in mass. Together, these methods should help establish whether a cavity extends beyond the pit and constrain its dimensions. Cameras will document the surface and exposed walls. Those walls expose successive lava flows and layers of regolith, the loose material covering the lunar surface. Studying them could help reconstruct the region’s volcanic activity, including intervals between eruptions. Even if GIMLI finds no extensive tunnel, its measurements could explain how the pit formed and improve our understanding of the surrounding geology. The possibility of a substantial cave also matters for future human exploration. Rock above an underground space could provide shielding from radiation and micrometeorites, while sheltered interiors could experience much smaller temperature changes than the exposed surface. Earlier research using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter observations and thermal modelling supports the potential advantages of some lunar pits and caves, although conditions would need to be assessed at each location. Establishing the structure beneath Marius Hills would help researchers evaluate whether this particular site could offer useful protection for future astronauts.18h
    @HawkingCenterA lava tube could shelter people on the Moon. NASA selected GIMLI, led by Nathaniel Putzig, to scan Marius Hills Pit for an underground tube and to study lunar volcanism. A tube there could shield crews from heat and radiation. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-adds-new-science-investigations-for-moon-base/13h
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