Pressurised natural caves could offer a home from home on the Moon

Pressurised natural caves under the Moon's surface could offer safer and more expansive living space than cramped bases built on the surface. Setting up Moon bases inside giant geological tunnels could be a cheaper and easier alternative to building on the surface.

March 16, 2023 . 9:08 AM

1 min read

Pressurised natural caves under the Moon's surface could offer safer and more expansive living space for future space colonists.
Moon bases could be situated inside a section of a lava tube, which would be pressurised with breathable air.
A computer model suggested that a lava tube with a roof thickness of ten metres could be safely pressurised to almost the same conditions found at sea level on Earth.
Increasing the proportion of oxygen in the artificial air used to fill the caverns could further reduce the overall pressure and risk of roof failure.
Moving around inside a space suit would be awkward, and the best option to enter and exit the tubes would be to build the entrance where a wall of the lava tube had naturally collapsed open.