foodconsumer.org: Big hole found on the moon

Big hole found on the moon
================================================================================
admin on 01/02/2010 13:45:00
 
By David Liu
A vertical hole on the moon has been discovered by an international team of
scientists, space.com reported citing research detailed in the journal of
Geophysical Research Letters in October.
The hole is said to be "as big as a city block and deep as a modest skyscraper".
It is believed that this hole was a collapsed lava tube formed probably billions
of years ago when the moon was still hot and volcanically active.
The discovery was made by the team led by Junichi Haruyama of the Japanese Space
Agency JAXA based on data collected by the moon-orbiting Japanese SELENE
spacecraft.
It has been discovered early that the moon harbors water and water ice, which
many people believe may support future establishment of lunar colonies.  But one
obstacle remains: the killing cosmic and solar radiations make it impossible for
space travelers to dwell on the moon for long periods.
The newly discovered lunar hole may serve as a shield protecting future moon
dwellers from the cosmic and solar radiations, which are known to cause cancers
among other things.