{"id":3923944,"date":"2026-02-16T09:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/massive-lava-tubes-on-mars-and-the-moon-could-shelter-astronauts\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T09:01:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:01:35","slug":"massive-lava-tubes-on-mars-and-the-moon-could-shelter-astronauts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/massive-lava-tubes-on-mars-and-the-moon-could-shelter-astronauts\/","title":{"rendered":"Massive Lava Tubes on Mars and the Moon Could Shelter Astronauts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lava tubes on Mars could provide shelter for astronauts, according to a new study. Earlier studies have suggested the same could apply to the Moon.<\/p>\n

An Army Intelligence Officer and Combat Veteran turned Ufologist and Astrophysicist,\u00a0Antonio Paris<\/a>, and other researchers have\u00a0published a study<\/a>\u00a0suggesting astronauts could live in relative safety underground on Mars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Astronauts may arrive on Mars sooner than we think, with missions beginning in the 2030s. However, human survival would be impossible without shelter from cosmic radiation. Unlike Earth, Mars has no atmosphere to protect life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In areas where the ground has caved in, scientists have seen expansive structures that could serve as \u201cready-built\u201d homes,\u00a0reported\u00a0BGR.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Enormous Lava Tubes on Mars and the Moon<\/h2>\n

There is evidence of enormous lava tubes near Mar\u2019s surface up to 1,000 times wider than lava tubes on Earth. In some cases, the tubes could be longer than 25 miles,\u00a0reported\u00a0CNN<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>in 2019.\u00a0<\/em>Here on Earth, similar structures range from 33 to 98 feet in diameter. They can be found in Hawaii, Australia, Iceland, and the Canary Islands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Moon may have lunar caves that reach one kilometer in diameter. To give you some idea, this would be large enough to hold the tallest buildings on Earth. A study coauthor that year suggested all of Padua, Italy\u2019s city center, could fit inside a lava tube on the Moon.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the study authors suggested astronauts could access lunar lava tubes and that they might hold water ice reservoirs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLunar tubes on the moon and Mars could be longer than 25 miles, according to a new study using satellite images, radar data, spacecraft observations of features called skylights belonging to collapsed lava tubes, and digital terrain models of lava tubes on the moon and Mars,\u201d reported Ashley Strickland.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Scientists discovered the lava tubes after spotting \u201cskylights,\u201d holes that revealed the caverns beneath. In the distant past, asteroid impacts created the skylights, revealing the recesses beneath.<\/p>\n

Unlike on Earth, low gravity conditions may prevent the huge caves from collapsing. Since the tubes provide shelter from micrometeorites and Radiation, they could serve as niches for hosting life.<\/p>\n

Since 2012, the\u00a0European Space Agency\u2019s CAVES and Pangaea programs<\/a>\u00a0have trained astronauts how to explore underground caves safely.<\/p>\n

See more about how these lava tubes form from NASA:<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EJDjyN3ni3U<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Martian Caves Could Block 80% of Radiation\u00a0<\/h2>\n

In recent years, Paris and the researchers studied analogous lava tubes on Earth in Mojave, CA, El Malpais, NM, and Flagstaff, AZ. After taking radiation measurements inside and outside the tubes, they compared the findings to what is known about Mars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/twitter.com\/AntonioParis\/status\/1362006033229615104?s=20<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not a perfect comparison since we don\u2019t know the exact properties of the lava tubes on Mars, but the researchers suggest that Martian caves could block over 80% of the radiation coming down from space,\u201d\u00a0reported\u00a0BGR.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Although radiation would remain higher than on Earth, it could make long-term missions possible.<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/twitter.com\/AntonioParis\/status\/1255536203174207493?s=20<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Hellas Planitia on Mars<\/h2>\n

As part of the recent study, Antonio Paris and the other researchers chose to focus on the Hellas Planitia in Mars\u2019 southern hemisphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/KatieMcGrawx\/status\/923714885615345669?s=20<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Its name translates to \u201cGreek plain.\u201d\u00a0NASA notes<\/a>\u00a0the area is \u201cone of the largest impact craters in the solar system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, scientists found evidence of\u00a0an ancient river system<\/a>\u00a0in the area. In 2017, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter found strange\u00a0\u201csquiggles\u201d on the surface,\u00a0<\/a>possibly the \u201cresult of this dry ice breaking apart into blocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe crater inside Hellas has been filled with material, which may be related to volcanic activity on the basin\u2019s northwestern rim. It also might be related to the presence of water and water ice. However, there is evidence elsewhere that the ground here is rich with ice,\u201d states the NASA website.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At the Hellas Planitia, there is less cosmic and solar radiation, reports\u00a0Popular Mechanics.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Paris believes the site may be ideal for astronauts to seek shelter. Also, he says the lava tubes would be an ideal spot to search for any signs of ancient microbial life.<\/p>\n

Today, NASA\u2019s Perseverance Rover is exploring\u00a0the Jezero Crater,<\/a>\u00a0north of the Martian equator. So, it won\u2019t be exploring the Hellas Planitia, unfortunately. In the meantime, Paris is hoping to travel<\/a> to the Moon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As an interesting (and bizarre) sidenote, recently, former Israeli space security chief Haim Eshed stated there has long been \u201ca secret underground base on Mars, where there are American and alien representatives.\u201d Notably, Eshed was head of Israel\u2019s space program for\u00a0nearly 30 years\u00a0<\/a>and is a three-time recipient of the Israel Security Award.<\/p>\n

So, who knows what might be down there in the lava tubes on Mars and the Moon?<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Megaflood on Mars: Another Sign of Life on the Red Planet<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

More about the Hellas Planitia via\u00a0Amaze Lab:<\/em><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8BzsMUlS1SA<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Featured image: Image by\u00a0Pexels<\/a>\u00a0via\u00a0Pixabay<\/a>,\u00a0Pixabay License<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Go to Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n

Lava tubes on Mars could provide shelter for astronauts, according to a new study. Earlier studies have suggested the same could apply to the Moon.<\/p>\n

An Army Intelligence Officer and Combat Veteran turned Ufologist and Astrophysicist, Antonio Paris, and other researchers have published a study suggesting astronauts could live in relative safety underground on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3923944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ancient-code","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3923944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3923944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3923944\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3923944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3923944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3923944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}