NASA Selects GIMLI Mission to Explore Lunar Lava Tubes at Marius Hills

• NASA has selected the Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation (GIMLI) to explore a potential lunar lava tube as a site for future human habitats.
• The mission is part of NASA’s Artemis Program, which aims to establish long-term lunar infrastructure.
• The project is led by the Planetary Science Institute (PSI), in partnership with the Norwegian Space Agency and Honeybee Robotics.

Mission Objectives and Instrumentation

• GIMLI will land at the Marius Hill Pit (MHP), a deep skylight on the Moon’s near side, to determine if it leads to a stable underground cavern.
• The lander and rover suite includes:
  • Ground-penetrating radar to map subsurface voids.
  • Seismic sensors to employ active-source seismic methods, a technique not used since the Apollo era.
  • A gravimeter to probe density and subsurface properties.
  • Imaging cameras to survey pit walls and surface features.

Scientific Significance

• The study aims to uncover how the Moon's volcanic history shaped its surface, specifically targeting activity from 3 to 3.8 billion years ago.
• Confirming the presence of large lava tubes could provide naturally shielded locations for astronauts, protecting them from surface radiation and micrometeoroids.
• Analyzing exposed regolith and lava flow layers inside the pit walls will offer insights into lunar geological history that are invisible from orbit.