Lunar Pits are potential locations for habitation structures, as they can fully or partially cover a human habitation construction from harmful space radiation. Currently, Lunar Pits are registered as Science locations.
The following Lunar Pits have been added to the LRR Public registry: List of Lunar Pits.
Lunar pits are pockmarks of up to 500 feet wide located on the surface of the Moon.
They were first detected by Japan’s Kaguya orbiter in 2009 and in the following years more than 200 have been discovered.
Due to the variance in how they were formed, Lunar pits have different properties, and notable attributes:
About 16 may have formed as caved-in lava tubes.
Some maintain a constant temperature. See Space.com: The moon’s strange warm pits may be the most pleasant place for astronauts and Lunar Pits Maintain Surprisingly Comfy Temperatures.
They can be potential habits for astronauts, as they provide underground shelter from extreme temperature swings, radiation, and high velocity micrometeorites that pulverise the lunar surface.
The discovery of, and use of Lunar Pits, is ongoing and may lead to the first locations of Moon Bases.
To dive deeper into Lunar Pits, visit the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Website overview of detecting them , or NASA website page Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts, Reveal Details of How ‘Man in the Moon’ Formed.
