Lava tubes considered for human habitation on moon

According to Anahita Modiriasari, a postdoctoral researcher in Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering, lava tubes form when a volcanic eruption sends lava flowing in channels on the ground.

“The surface of the lava flow cools and forms a crust on top, while the hot lava keeps flowing underneath, forming a tunnel,” Modiriasari said in a statement. “We know these lava tubes exist on the moon, as satellite imagery has shown openings on the lunar surface, sometimes called ‘skylights.’"

In 2017, Purdue University researchers helped discover a lava tube on the moon that could protect astronauts from hazardous conditions on the surface. Now, 3D image reconstructions of lava tubes on Earth could help assess if they are stable enough to build human habitats.

The work is part of Purdue's Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats (RETH) group that looks at how future human habitats on the moon or Mars can be made resilient against radiation, temperature fluctuations, seismic activity and meteorite impacts.