Over 300 caves and pits are known to exist on the Moon, and close to 1000 on Mars. Lunar and planetary caves and pits are sheltered microenvironments on planetary bodies offering environmental conditions that differ greatly from those prevailing at the surface, in particular shielding from ionizing space radiation and micro-meteoritic bombardment, dampened diurnal temperature variations, generally colder temperatures, and the possibility in some cases of volatile cold-trapping and maybe even life. On the Moon, high-latitude caves represent a type of permanently shadowed region (PSR) in which H2O and other volatile ices might be sequestered. On Mars, volcanic caves might be astrobiological oases, offering sheltered habitats for even extant life. On both worlds, caves and pits thus represent high priority targets for science and future robotic and human exploration. We report here on the first field study engaging an EVA spacesuit system manufacturer of requirements for EVA systems and operations to enable safe and productive cave and pit exploration on the Moon and Mars. Analog field tests were conducted in the context of the NASA Haughton-Mars Project in collaboration with Collins Aerospace at Skylight Cave lava tube in Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. Recommended augmentations to spacesuit features include LED lighting at several key locations on the upper and lower torso, glove and boot tips; additional abrasion-resistant outer garments; and a removable shield cage to protect the helmet visor. Lessons learned for lunar and Mars caving operations will also be presented.
Lee et al. (Sun,) studied this question.