Scientists map possible lunar lava tubes by combining images of surface pits with elevation, thermal and radar data. Each dataset answers a different question: images show what is visible at the surface, topography measures its shape, thermal observations describe temperature patterns, and radar can support an inference about what continues underground. None of these orbital clues, by itself, amounts to a complete map of a cave.
What counts as evidence of a lunar lava tube?
Use distinct labels for distinct levels of confidence. A pit is an observed surface opening. A possible skylight is a pit whose geometry may provide access to an underground void. Evidence of a cave means observations support a subsurface extension. A mapped lava tube would require enough evidence to establish and chart the passage itself—not just its entrance or a partial extension.
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That distinction matters because a pit’s appearance alone does not establish how it formed. NASA noted in 2014 that the observed pits offered little evidence for a specific origin, and that orbital viewing geometry can hide lower walls and floor-level caves. Its account reported more than 200 lunar pits at that time; this is a historical figure, not a current census. NASA’s 2014 discussion of lunar pits explains the interpretive limits.
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How to build a candidate map from orbital data
A useful map keeps directly observed features separate from interpretations. Work through the datasets in sequence, and record what each one can—and cannot—show.
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1. Find and inspect candidate pits
Start with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images. Note the rim, steep walls, visible overhangs, floor features and the parts of the opening obscured by shadow or viewing angle. Compare images taken under different illumination or viewing conditions when available. A suggestive overhang or dark opening can make a feature worth investigating, but it does not prove that the pit is a skylight or that its origin is volcanic.
2. Measure surface relief
Use LROC stereo image pairs to build three-dimensional views, then combine that context with elevation and slope information from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA). NASA gives a resolution range of 0.5–2 meters per pixel for LRO stereo pairs used for 3D surface views. That figure describes the stereo imagery, not the resolution of every dataset or the detail of an unseen cave interior. LRO-derived topographic maps provide a more accurate account of surface shape than a single image alone. See NASA’s LRO science and data overview.
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3. Add thermal context
Diviner, LRO’s thermal instrument, measures temperature patterns that help characterize sunlit and shadowed terrain. Thermal conditions can help describe the environment around a pit, but they are not a direct survey of cave geometry. In 2022, NASA reported modeled temperatures near 63°F (17°C) in permanently shadowed reaches of the Mare Tranquillitatis pit. This result applies to those pit reaches; treating it as a cave temperature depends on the cave extending from that pit. NASA’s account of the thermal findings describes the result and its context.
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Radar can provide evidence that a void continues beyond what cameras can see. NASA reported in July 2024 that reanalysis of LRO Mini-RF data collected in 2010 supports a cave extending more than 200 feet from the base of the Mare Tranquillitatis pit. That is an extension from the pit base, not the cave’s total length: its full extent remains unknown. The result is evidence of a cave, not a complete interior survey or proof that every part of the inferred feature has been mapped as a lava tube. Read NASA’s 2024 Mini-RF report for the finding.
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5. Keep observation and inference separate on the map
Represent the evidence in separate layers instead of drawing a single, apparently certain underground passage. A practical map can distinguish:
- The observed rim and visible pit geometry in camera images.
- Visible overhangs and the portions of walls or floor that images do not capture.
- Surface elevation and slope derived from stereo imagery and LOLA.
- Thermal context from Diviner.
- Any radar-supported subsurface extension, with its evidence source and known limits.
- Interpretations such as a possible skylight or volcanic-tube origin, labeled as interpretations rather than confirmed geometry.
This layered approach makes it clear which parts are measured at the surface, which are supported by radar, and which remain hypotheses.
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How to compare candidate pits
There is no universal candidate-scoring standard established by the sources cited here. Instead, compare features across distinct evidence categories and keep uncertainty visible:
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- Relief and coverage: What do stereo imagery and elevation data reveal, and which parts are hidden or poorly observed?
- Subsurface evidence: Is there radar support for an extension beyond the visible opening?
- Thermal context: What temperature patterns are measured or modeled, and do they describe the pit rather than an unobserved interior?
- Origin: How strong is the case for a volcanic tube compared with other possible explanations for the pit?
NASA quoted UCLA doctoral student Tyler Horvath in 2022 as saying, “About 16 of the more than 200 pits are probably collapsed lava tubes.” “Probably” is important: it is a qualified estimate from that report, not confirmation that those pits—or all lunar pits—are mapped tubes. The same NASA report quotes LRO Project Scientist Noah Petro: “Knowing that they create a stable thermal environment helps us paint a picture of these unique lunar features and the prospect of one day exploring them.”
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Where to access lunar mapping data
NASA lists the Planetary Data System (PDS), QuickMap and LROC products among the entry points for lunar data. Its LRO data-products page includes global, polar and regional products, as well as shapefiles and topographic products. Start at NASA’s LRO data products page to find the available resources. Stereo anaglyph products can be viewed with red-blue or red-blue/green glasses, according to NASA’s LRO science and data overview; these help visualize stereo imagery but do not locate or measure a tube.
Why orbital mapping cannot yet reveal the whole cave
Orbital instruments observe the surface or infer properties beneath it; they do not provide an ordinary camera view of a complete underground passage. Shadows, steep walls and viewing geometry conceal parts of pits, while radar evidence can indicate an extension without establishing the full cave’s shape or length. For Mare Tranquillitatis, the reported extension beyond the pit base is meaningful evidence, but the total extent remains unknown.
NASA describes CADRE as a flight demonstration involving a base station and three small rovers, intended to demonstrate cooperative mapping, obstacle avoidance and ground-penetrating radar surveys. The cited description does not say that CADRE has mapped a lunar lava tube. It represents relevant exploration capabilities, not a completed interior map. See NASA’s lunar surface technology overview.
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