Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
NASA wants to look inside a big hole on the Moon. The hole is called the Marius Hills Pit.
Scientists think there may be a cave under the hole. A cave on the Moon could protect people from the sun and the cold.
NASA chose a project called GIMLI. It will send a robot to the pit. The robot will use radar and other tools to look under the ground.
NASA wants to build a base on the Moon one day. A safe cave could be a good place for it.
- Moon
- The big light in the night sky.
- hole
- An empty place in the ground.
- cave
- A large space under the ground.
- protect
- To keep safe.
- robot
- A machine that can do jobs.
- radar
- A tool that finds things with waves.
- base
- A place where people live and work.
- project
- A big plan with a goal.
Level 2 - Elementary
NASA has chosen a project called GIMLI to study whether the Marius Hills Pit on the Moon opens into a huge underground cave, also called a lava tube. The pit is about 34 meters deep.
The project is led by the Planetary Science Institute, with scientist Than Putzig in charge. It will use ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors and a gravimeter, which measures small changes in gravity, plus cameras to photograph the pit walls.
A lander and a rover would carry the equipment to the surface through NASA's commercial lunar delivery program. The Norwegian Space Agency is a partner, and Honeybee Robotics will build much of the instruments.
GIMLI is one of three investigations NASA picked to help plan a future Moon base near the south pole. A cave could shield astronauts from radiation and sharp changes in temperature.
- lava tube
- A long cave left when lava flowed underground.
- seismic
- Connected to shaking of the ground.
- gravimeter
- A tool that measures gravity.
- lander
- A spacecraft that touches down on a surface.
- rover
- A vehicle that drives on another world.
- partner
- A group that works with you.
- radiation
- Dangerous energy from space.
- shield
- To protect from harm.
Level 3 - Intermediate
On the plains of the Moon, in a region called Marius Hills, a round opening drops roughly 34 meters into the dark. NASA has now selected a project called GIMLI to find out whether that pit is merely a hole or the doorway to a vast underground cave, a lava tube carved by ancient volcanic flows.
Led by Than Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute, the investigation would combine ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors and a gravimeter, along with cameras that photograph the pit's exposed walls. The Norwegian Space Agency is a partner, Honeybee Robotics will build much of the hardware, and NASA would supply a lander and rover through its commercial lunar payload program, with funding from its PRISM program.
GIMLI was chosen alongside two other investigations meant to support a future Moon base planned near the south pole. The attraction of a cave is practical: a natural roof would offer protection against radiation and the violent swings between lunar day and night temperatures.
Even a negative result would be valuable. Finding no cave could still reveal how the pit formed and deepen understanding of the Moon's volcanic past.
- lava tube
- An underground tunnel formed by flowing lava.
- investigation
- A systematic study.
- exposed
- Not covered; visible.
- hardware
- Physical equipment.
- payload
- Cargo or instruments carried by a spacecraft.
- practical
- Useful in real life.
- violent
- Extreme and forceful.
- negative result
- A finding that does not confirm the hope.
Level 4 - Advanced
Somewhere beneath the volcanic plains of Marius Hills, NASA suspects, the Moon may be hollow. A round pit, roughly 34 meters deep, punctures the surface there, and the agency has now selected a project called GIMLI to establish whether it is a mere blemish or a skylight onto a vast lava tube sculpted by ancient eruptions.
The team, led by Than Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute, would pair ground-penetrating radar and seismic sensors with a gravimeter, which registers the faint gravitational signature of a void, and cameras trained on the pit's walls. The Norwegian Space Agency is a partner, Honeybee Robotics is to build much of the hardware, NASA would deliver a lander and rover through its commercial lunar payload program, and the PRISM program is footing the bill.
The strategic logic is tied to NASA's plan for a Moon base near the south pole. A natural cavern would furnish a ready-made roof against radiation and the brutal thermal swings of the lunar day and night, sparing engineers the cost of burying a habitat.
Yet the project is framed as science first. Should the pit prove a dead end, the measurements would still illuminate how it formed and the Moon's volcanic history, a consolation prize that is hardly small.
- punctures
- Pierces with a hole.
- blemish
- A small flaw.
- skylight
- A window in a roof.
- signature
- A distinctive sign or trace.
- void
- An empty space.
- furnish
- To provide.
- thermal
- Relating to heat.
- consolation prize
- Something of value given when the main goal is missed.
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