A recent study has found that the Moon’s south pole, where NASA intends to land people during its Artemis missions, is prone to moonquakes and landslides. This might be a difficulty for both robotic and crewed trips to the moon.
The research, published in the Planetary Science Journal, examined moonquakes using data from seismometers left on the Moon by Apollo astronauts more than 50 years ago. It discovered faults in the south polar area that might produce major seismic activity, posing concerns to future missions. These quakes, if not adequately planned for, have the potential to damage landing sites and infrastructure.
As more businesses want to construct on the Moon, there is an increasing demand for building rules to deal with moonquakes. There are currently no lunar building codes, which may cause development delays. A group from the American Society of Civil Engineers is developing recommendations for designing structures to survive seismic occurrences on the Moon.
Moonquakes continue significantly longer than earthquakes on Earth, often for many hours. Long-duration earthquakes may develop structural fissures and render buildings dangerous over time. The absence of data on the Moon’s geology makes it difficult to anticipate how strong these quakes will be in certain places.
NASA and its partners are working to develop methods to limit earthquake damage to lunar buildings. More data is needed to better understand moonquakes, particularly those from the lunar south pole. Future missions may contain equipment to collect this crucial information.
Engineers are also looking at ways to design towering buildings, such as skyscrapers, that can withstand severe earthquakes. One design, known as LUNARSABER, is a towering tower that might rise more than 100 meters above the Moon’s surface to aid navigation and energy distribution. However, moonquakes make it more difficult to maintain such buildings, particularly in the Moon’s loose soil.