NASA has officially backed a new exploration project to determine whether a famous pit on the Moon leads into a vast, subterranean lava tube. The project, titled GIMLI (Geophysical Investigation of the Marius Hills Pit Lava Tube and Interior), is led by the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) as part of NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) programme. The mission will focus on the Marius Hills Pit (MHP), a prominent lunar hole measuring approximately 34 meters deep and 65 by 90 meters across, located in an ancient volcanic region on the lunar nearside.
The GIMLI payload will employ a multi-sensor approach, providing researchers an opportunity to examine Marius Hill Pit directly from the lunar surface.
The existence of the pit was confirmed by the satellite imagery, but the scientists don’t have enough data to prove whether the void extends into a long underground cave system. “Than and his team are taking a scientific question we’ve been studying from orbit and have developed a way to investigate it directly on the Moon. “We’re excited to have PSI leading this effort and to be partnering with NASA and Honeybee Robotics to learn more about the Moon and its volcanic past. The scientists will use data from these instruments to search for an underground void extending from MHP, if it exists. Subterranean lava tubes formed billions of years ago during the Moon’s active volcanic phase. The GIMLI mission aims to find surface environments on the Moon that experience extreme temperature swings, micrometeorite impacts, and harsh solar and cosmic radiation. Intact lava tubes could serve as natural, structurally sound shelters for long-term human outposts. Apart from that, analysing the interior rock layers of these structures could offer scientists a look into the Moon’s thermal and volcanic history.
