Episode 234 of This Week In Space examined the possibility of using lunar lava tubes as habitats for future moon base operations. Tariq Malik and Mike Wall interviewed Than Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute about a NASA-backed payload headed to Marius Hills Pit on the moon.
Marius Hills Pit is a roughly 50-meter-wide opening that may lead into a lunar lava tube. Putzig discussed how geophysical instruments on a rover could detect hidden voids beneath the lunar surface and measure the size of these lava tubes. The conversation explored how lava tubes form and what a follow-up robotic explorer could reveal about them.
The research fits alongside NASA's Artemis plans for a south polar moon base. The podcast examined whether Marius Hills Pit could become the Moon's first human living habitat.