Welcome to this installment of The Intelligence Brief… This week, a groundbreaking new study using NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified over a dozen newly confirmed pit craters on the Moon that could serve as natural entrances to underground environments—some of which may be ideal for future astronaut shelters. In our analysis, we’ll explore 1) how these lunar pits differ from ordinary surface depressions, 2) why locations like Mare Tranquillitatis and Mare Ingenii stand out as particularly promising candidates, 3) how these formations could offer both scientific value and radiation-shielded environments for long-term habitation, and 4) why this discovery marks a pivotal step toward building lunar outposts using the Moon’s own geology.
Quote of the Week
“Pits would be useful in a support role for human activity on the lunar surface.”
– Robert Wagner, Arizona State University
RECENT NEWS from The Debrief
Windows into the Lunar Underground
The Moon and its mysterious surface have long fascinated us. From its massive craters to its expansive maria plains and mysterious “far side,” lunar features visible from Earth, as well as those discovered by past crewed missions and current satellite reconnaissance, continually add to the wonder we hold for Earth’s mysterious natural satellite.
Now, recent data collected by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is providing high-resolution lunar imagery that scientists have used to help uncover potential gateways to hidden underground environments on the Moon.
The breakthrough discoveries, detailed in a recent study in the journal Icarus, identified more than a dozen new examples of mysterious lunar features known as “pit craters,” which may offer natural access points to subsurface lunar environments, and may even provide future shelter for astronauts, in addition to scientific treasures that have remained protected from the Moon’s harsh surface conditions.
Into the Pit
Pit craters are steep-walled, mostly circular depressions on the Moon that are formed when surface areas collapse into a subsurface void, sometimes because of the presence of lava tubes or caves in these areas.
Unlike simple depressions or collapse pits, which tend to collect light uniformly, true pit craters with subsurface access exhibit telltale shadows that behave differently over time. These shadows are visible in images collected by the LRO’s Narrow Angle Camera and suggest large overhangs or openings that exist beneath the surface.
In a recent study detailing these findings, nearly 15 years of combined imaging data from the LRO were subjected to refined image processing and shape-from-shading techniques. This allowed researchers to determine the existence of more than 100 pit craters, sixteen of which could be candidates for entrances into further subsurface lunar voids.
Natural Entrances to the Moon’s Underworld
“What we’re seeing are natural entrances, some with floors deep in shadow even at high Sun angles,” the researchers explain in their recent paper. Intriguingly, some of the most promising candidates from the research exist in well-known locations, which include the famous Mare Tranquillitatis, home of the first lunar landing base, and Mare Ingenii.
In addition to being well-characterized areas and even locations of past crewed visits, they are also compelling because their surrounding terrain consists of ancient volcanic plains. These make them ideal for forming and preserving lava tubes that the newly identified pit caves could provide access to.
Beyond Shelter: A Science and Safety Opportunity
Although the idea of exploring the lunar underworld is itself very intriguing, there are far more practical reasons that scientists want to study pit caves. Primarily, their value is in their potential usefulness in long-duration missions.
Intact subsurface lava tubes, for instance, could offer shielding for astronauts, as well as sensitive scientific equipment, from radiation and other extreme environmental effects encountered during Moon missions. Such lunar cave environments also offer protection from micrometeorite impacts, which frequently impact the Moon after passing through its meager atmosphere.
Within these lava tube caves, astronauts would not only be protected from external dangers but would also find more stable temperatures, as well as an environment where undisturbed lunar material may exist, offering a pristine archive of the Moon’s geologic history.
“These environments could prove critical not only for scientific study but as infrastructure for human habitation,” the study notes.
Next Steps Toward Exploration
According to the study, the most promising pits in the current batch are those that possess consistent internal shadowing and favorable terrain. These, they argue, should be prioritized as potential landing or robotic exploration sites during future missions.
In the years ahead, initial exploration of these features could be undertaken with targeted scouting using future lunar orbiters and landers, which may be able to confirm whether these entrances do indeed lead to more extensive underground networks.
Offering the most detailed analysis of these mysterious features yet documented, the new study significantly expands our knowledge of lunar pit caves and marks a crucial first step toward transforming natural features on the Moon into functional outposts for future exploration.
That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of our newsletter at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or reach me on X: @MicahHanks.
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