A mysterious hole on Mars could house humans during a manned mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has captured a mysterious hole on the surface of Mars. This crater on the side of an ancient volcano is a few meters wide and was originally discovered on August 15, 2022, according to reports. Space.com website.

The report stated that the image of this mysterious crater, located on the side of the now-extinct Arsia Mons volcano, was captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera.

At the time, when NASA’s spacecraft took the image, it was only 256 kilometers (159 miles) from the surface of Mars.

This mysterious hole is believed to be a vertical shaft.

The report stated that these holes could shelter astronauts in the future. For this reason, the report claimed: “On the one hand, it could provide shelter for future astronauts; Because Mars has a thin atmosphere and lacks a global magnetic field, it cannot ward off radiation from space the way Earth does. As a result, radiation exposure on Mars is 40 to 50 times greater than radiation exposure on Earth.

In addition, these craters could be useful in providing information about life on Mars. “Another attractive aspect of these craters is that they may not only provide shelter for human astronauts; they could have an interest in astrobiology, meaning they could have been protected habitats for Martian life in the past — and perhaps even today if “Microbial life was already there.”

The presence of these holes on the side of volcanoes indicates that they may be linked to volcanic activity on the Red Planet. The report added: “Lava channels can flow away from the underground volcano; When a volcano dies, the channel empties. This leaves behind a long underground pipe. We see such tubes not only on Mars, but also on the Moon and on Earth.

It remains a mystery how deep these holes are. In addition, it is also unclear whether these holes open into a large cave or whether they contain a small cylindrical depression.

The report concluded that if these holes open into caves, they may in the future become a preferred landing site for manned missions to Mars. Such a mission would require astronauts to build a base camp shielded away from persistent global radiation.