NASA’s Lunar Orbiter discovers warm ‘pits’ all over the Moon

Pits on the Moon provide stable and human-friendly temperatures, as well as access to caves that rovers and astronauts could explore.

A constant 17C contrasts sharply with the rest of the Moon’s service, which ranges from 127C/260F to -173C/280F.

The researchers concentrated their efforts on a mostly cylindrical pit within Mare Tranquillitatis, the same region visited by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969.

Researchers from Arizona State University and NASA have studied the Mare Tranquillitatis pit crater on the Moon’s nearside.

They concluded that the temperature inside the pit was not only comfortable, but that it was also possibly connected to a cave with a similar stable environment.

According to the researchers, “pits and caves may provide greater mission safety than other potential base station locations.”